Captivating Sympathy
by Pancake-at-the-disco
Summary: Little did she know when she woke up that she would be embarking on such an adventure. With her past shrouded in mystery, will revelations bring with them comfort, or serve to demolish what little peace she had found? Summary sucks but the story doesn't.
1. Cat Got Your Memory?

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I pretend to have any ownership of Young Justice or the DC Universe. This fanfic will parallel the show, with a few of my creative liberties, such as changing some ages: i.e. Robin is sixteen rather than thirteen like he is portrayed in the show.**

**I'm so glad that people seem to like the introductory chapter, but I would really appreciate some feedback before you favorite. I want to send out a huge thank-you to NinjaSheik and Bloody Midnight for reviewing. **

**Captivating Sympathy**  
**Chapter One: Cat Got Your Memory?**

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Alarms sounded loud across the grounds accompanied by shill screams. A multitude of armed, masked men raided the classrooms of Gotham's only all girls academy. Doors were kicked in before several rounds of ammunition were emptied into the air for intimidation purposes.

Girls were snatched up, seemingly at random, and were taken away despite their protests. Teachers and administrators trying to intervene were gunned down without prejudice, leaving everyone else quaking against the furthest wall possible as the kidnappers made their escape.

One of the masked criminals found himself staring down a student in the middle of the hallway leading to the armored car they would use for their escape. He raised his gun in an attempt to scare the lone girl, but before he could pull the trigger, he found the gun wrenched from his grasp and entangled in the fall of a whip, now laying useless on the ground.

With a flick of her wrist, the whip sprang to life, dropping the gun and advancing towards her adversary.

A shout rang through the otherwise silent hallway before the cold barrel of a gun was pressed to the girls temple. The whip was confiscated and she too was collected and tossed headlong into the back of the armored car, filled to capacity with girls from several different schools. Her head collided with the steel wall of the inner cabin and searing pain followed her into unconsciousness.

When her eyes fluttered open several hours later, not only did she not recognize her surroundings, she couldn't remember how she got there or, more importantly, who she was.

The doors were ripped open and the last remnants of daylight flooded the previously darkened cabin. Girls whimpered and grasped onto one another as if doing so would prevent their abductors from continuing with their plan. It was, of course for naught as one by one, each girl was untangled from the various limbs of her fellow captives and pulled into a separate room where she was made to change into a short and generic, prison-esque dress. Following their change of attire, a short video, pleading with parents and guardians to send the ransom money was shot.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan for the kidnappers until the one girl who dared to fight back was pulled from the cargo hold.

"Make the call to mommy and daddy," one of the thugs instructed in a patronizing tone.

She wanted desperately to comply, but she didn't know who she was, let alone who to call for help in such a situation.

"What's wrong," another sneered as he grabbed what little of her dark black hair as he could from her pixie cut, "cat got your tongue?"

Her green eyes darted wildly around the room, coming to rest on a finely crafted whip attached to the belt of the one crook in the room that actually worried her. While the other two kidnappers exuded male bravado the third remained absolutely quite and surveyed the girls' every move with the eyes of a hawk. Knowing she had no other choice, she made a mad dash towards the man, narrowly avoiding his massive fist as her left hand expertly clasped around the whip's handle and pulled it free.

The sound of the whip cracking resonated within the small enclosure, sending the two chatty criminals scampering to the door. The quite one reached for the pistol in his holster only to find it missing. Even his hawk eyes hadn't been able to follow the girl's subtle movements. He surveyed the room and growled when he realized his gun had been snatched away by a little girl with a strip of leather.

"Gather every man we have and commence with the rest of the operation," he commanded in a gruff voice into a crackling wireless transmitter. "I'll take care of the snag here." With a frenzy of fists, the once more silent thug advanced toward the kink in his plan.

With a flick of her wrist, the whip ensnared one of the mans flailing limbs. While he lumbered on, she preformed a front hand spring and easily cleared him. Not expecting her to out maneuver him, he ran headlong into the wall, dazing him long enough for the girl to relieve him of his belt and tie both his wrists and ankles together. Once she had immobilized him, she secured her whip around her waist and stumbled out into the twilight, following a billowing cloud of black smoke and the distant sound of screams.

Upon reaching the source of the raging fire, she found that the girls' belongings had been piled on top of one another, drenched in lighter fluid, and set ablaze.

The sound of terrified squeals floated through the hallway in response to the nearly twenty masked, armed men which leered at the scantily clad teenagers.

Would she be able to take them all out at once? Realizing the chances were slim to none, she decided to test the limits of her stamina and skill by inconspicuously luring a couple thugs at a time from the seemingly growing group located outside the girls' holding cell.

A small pebble sized piece of rubble, more than likely from the deteriorating ceiling, made for the only distraction she would need if she played her cards right. Rather than flicking the chunk of rubble in a direction that would send her would be captors away from her, she tossed the distraction behind her. She listened to it clatter along the hallway and waited in the growing shadows to preserve her element of surprise.

"Whose there?" a crook demanded, accompanied by four others. Beams from flashlights shone in all directions, never locking on anything that looked out of the ordinary. They soon lost interest and reserved to return to the group, grumbling that they had lost valuable time with their captives. Unfortunately for them, they wouldn't make it back.

A shadow dropped from the rafters, landing a solid kick to the jaws of two thugs sending them sprawling to the concrete below. It was clear after their first impact on the waiting terrain that the would not be getting to their feet anytime soon. She back flipped over another who slipped into unconsciousness before she landed due to a pressure point above his collarbone being taken advantage of. The sound of three bodies crumpling to the floor and muffled moans of pain was enough to coerce the remaining two to turn and face their adversary. A low sweeping kick caused another to lose his balance. On his way down, he was incapacitated by a a knee colliding painfully with his temple.

Strong arms wrapped around the small girl, pinning her arms to her side.

"End of the line doll," the last crook sneered as his rancid breath assaulted her senses.

She had come too far to allow herself to be captured now. She raised her leg and kicked out to the side with as much strength as she could muster, shattering his kneecap. As he released her to clench his injury she rolled forward and out of his clutches. Grasping the whip, she ensnared his ankle and strung him up to the rafters. As she had previously, she relieved her foe of his belt, utilizing that to keep him secured upside down before retrieving the whip.

"If you talk, I'll drop you," the girl warned, loosening the belt for emphasis.

Now that her plan had been set in motion, all that was left to do was lay in wait for the remaining kidnappers to realize the first search party wasn't coming back.

"How do you get lost in a hallway?" a new voice asked, breaking the tense silence. Footsteps reverberated down the hallway, masking the true number of opponents she would have to face this round.

"Don't be stupid. It's a trap!" the hanging kidnapper shouted.

As promised, the belt keeping him from succumbing to gravity was removed, sending the chatty crook plummeting into his two comrades below. Bullets whizzed through the air, piercing through the falling kidnapper. Startled yelps and screams of pain were quieted soon enough as those waiting below were flattened. Without hesitation, the girl leaped down from her hiding spot in the rafters and tied each of her opponents hands behind them with what was quickly becoming her favorite accessory in these situations.

"What the hell is going on?" a gruff, frustrated voice called out. Of course by this time, the remainder of the criminals had realized that something was amiss. Another five of the dwindling captors stampeded down the hallway, giving no time for an inconspicuous escape back into the rafters.

Not only had she had lost the element of surprise, but she was now out numbered, fighting adversaries who were not tiring from continuous battle. She cracked her whip, backing into the wall to ensure she was safe from an attack from behind. Her whip lashed out, carving out a segment of skin from the kidnapper closest to her. On her next attempt to keep the crooks at bay, the fall hitch of the whip was ensnared within the fist of one of her adversaries. He tried to wrench the weapon from her grasp, but only succeeded in pulling the determined girl within striking range.

Leaving only inches before a collision, she executed a back hand spring, coming to land on her opponents shoulders. Within seconds, he thong of the whip was wrapped around his massive neck. She kept her seat while the man below her bumbled around before finally succumbing to the lack of oxygen.

The noise was deafening as barrels were emptied and bullets ricocheted off walls. The whip proved to be somewhat effective in deflecting the ammunition, but it was far from infallible and a round passed through her minimal defenses. It only skimmed the top layer of skin, but the combined speed and heat left an angry burn across her arm.

A mischievous laugh echoed around the hallway, making the task of discerning its origin practically impossible. Two objects whizzed through the air, embedding themselves into the lowest hanging rafter. A small explosion decimated the rest of the ceiling and created a hole in the roof.

To avoid being buried by the debris raining down, she dove into a forward roll, leaving all of the approaching captors who were inevitably swallowed up by the rubble.

A teenage boy around sixteen years old appeared balanced on a window sill when the dust had settled. "Oh, come on. I thought even scum was above ganging up on girls," he said before glancing at the pile of unconscious thugs from before his arrival and back to the girl curled up on the outskirts of the ceiling sediment. "Are you alright?"

A collective groan came from the pile beneath the fallen rubble.

"Wasn't talking to you," he said in an almost sing song voice. He smiled and hopped down from the ledge from which he was perched, making his way over to the girl, ridged with shock. A black gloved hand was presented to her, gently pulling her to her feet when she accepted it.

Without slipping her hand out from that of her rescuer's, she bent over and retrieved the whip from the rubble. A hand burst through the debris only to receive a sharp snap from the newly attained weapon before it was once again secured around the petite girl's waist.

Muffled shouts and the sound of fists landing blows drifted from the room containing the girls' holding cell. By the time both teens made their way out of the body laden hallway, the lock imprisoning the girls had been busted. The previously contained girls rushed out of the cell and into the warm Gotham night. The pile of smoldering remains of the girls' belongings were being picked through by a tall man in a form fitting black rubber suit and black hood. He quickly turned around in a combative stance when he heard the two teens arrive.

"How were you able to escape?" the large man asked, his voice deep and rough. His piercing eyes stared straight into her deep green, panic stricken orbs. "Answer me," he demanded.

She averted her eyes and took a shaky breath before looking back into the face of the man who had cleaned up the rest of her mess. "I didn't," she answered quietly. "They never got me in the cell. I ambushed them from the rafters."

"Impressive. I'm whelmed," the masked teenager chuckled.

"Robin," the large and slightly foreboding man reprimanded.

"Come on Batman," Robin urged. "She held her own, for a while at least."

Sirens cut through the air as police cars raced towards the location, presumably to collect the abducted girls.

"You're ride will be here soon," Batman said, turning to take his leave, his cape fluttering behind him. "Just tell them your name and they'll take you home."

"What, what if I can't remember my name?" she mumbled, both panicked and slightly embarrassed before poking around, trying to find something to jog her lost memories, or, better yet, some sort of identification for herself.

Batman paused and contemplated this new development. Could he, in all good conscience, leave a young girl with promising combative skills on the streets of Gotham to be corrupted?

Robin seemed to be thinking along the same lines and crouched down next to the pile of scorched possessions. He reached into the ashes along with her, feeling for something solid.

Several minutes passed in an uneasy silence, both teenagers rummaging around in the remnants of school uniforms and personal items while Batman stood quietly with his back against the door frame. He continued to ponder what he should do with her. Leaving her on the street now would more than likely just create another villain he and Robin would have to contend with later.

A triumphant smile spread across Robin's lips as he held up a piece of plastic, severely melted around the edges and charred black. He was able to clear enough soot off the photo on the ID to make a discernible match. "Catly? Catlyn? Catlyn! Does that sound familiar?" he asked.

"Maybe?" she offered, wishing she had something more definitive to answer him with.

"Robin, bring Catlyn," Batman commanded, leaving the enclosure and getting into the Batmobile.

"Where are we taking her?" Robin asked, his hand clasping around Catlyn's as he followed his mentor out into the night.

"Mount Justice," Batman answered simply, leaving Catlyn in her seemingly constant haze of confusion. She was only jolted from her musings when Robin came to a stop in front of a red racing motorcycle. Catlyn looked at Robin confused when he passed her his helmet.

"You'll need it more than I will," he answered simply.

She eyed the machine sheepishly before plopping the helmet on her head, swinging one leg over the rear seat and straddling the bike. She wondered if she had known this morning what an eventful day it would prove to be. Thinking about memories she knew lay beyond her reach sent her heart plummeting into her stomach.

After getting on the bike himself, Robin gave Catlyn a reassuring smile before offering a recommendation, "Hang on."

The motorcycle roared to life, kicking up gravel as Robin meandered the speeder to a paved road.

Catlyn let out a strangled noise of surprise prior to flinging her arms around Robin's waist for support and burying her face into his back. She felt his torso shake with laughter, swallowed up by the wind.

Within thirty minutes, the ride became almost relaxing, until Robin's speed became near breakneck and the winding path narrowed considerably. After a final skid, the motorcycle came to a stop at the mouth of what looked to be a cave in the side of a large mountain.

When it didn't appear that Catlyn was going to release her hold on him, Robin chuckled and patted her clasped hands, signalling that they had reached their destination and there would be no more spurts of speed. After being released, he dismounted the red speeder and helped her with the helmet before leading her inside.

Batman met them at the entrance and instructed Catlyn to sit in the living room. He made it quite clear that she was to remain quiet while she was the subject of discussion.

"She's suffering from amnesia alright," a green skinned, ginger teenager reported.

Catlyn pulled her knees up close to her chest and wracked her brain, desperate to remember something, anything before the time she woke up in the back of the armored car. What made the situation all the more terrifying for her was not knowing where this encounter was going to lead. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the arrival of three additional teenagers and a large, red android.

Tired of sitting still and feeling helpless in such a situation, she got off the couch to stretch her legs and hopefully walk off some of her nerves. She made sure to keep her back to those discussing her fate as to avoid any possible accusations of eavesdropping.

"Then it is decided. She is to remain here and join the team on covert missions," a somewhat robotic voice said in conclusion to the topic at hand. "It might be beneficial to become acquainted with your new teammate."

Before allowing the curious teenagers to speak freely with the newly received member, Batman decided a little debriefing might be in order. "We believe her name is Catlyn. Don't make any sudden movements around her. She's skittish and we don't know how she's going to react."

Ignoring the sound advice from Batman, the boy with ginger hair disappeared, leaving only a streak of color in his wake. He reappeared behind Catlyn and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Wel-"

His message was interrupted when two tiny hands grasped him firmly around his wrist and elbow. Using the height difference as leverage, Catlyn flipped the teenager over her shoulder. After landing flat on his back, both his wrists and ankles were bound together by a pliable but firm strand of leather.

"Catlyn!" a stern voice, although laced with mild amusement, reprimanded, accompanied by Robin's increasingly familiar laugh.

"Dude! Not funny," the boy ensnared in the whip called from his position on the floor.

Catlyn did not immediately react to her name. After a few seconds, she turned slowly and saw a mixture of expressions: Batman stood almost detached with his arms crossed, Robin was doubled over in mirth while his hands covered his mouth, and three unfamiliar faces ranged somewhere between the two extremes. With slumped shoulders and a bowed head, she made her way over to Batman, dragging the boy behind her. She then relinquished the handle of the whip to the adult's waiting hand. "Sorry," she apologized in a small voice but genuine tone as she disentangled the ginger before taking a seat back on the couch, bringing her legs up to her chest, and resting her forehead on her knees.

She felt the cushion she was sitting on compress further and turned to see a black teenager with short blonde hair looking at her with kind eyes.

"My name is Kaldur," he said, his voice very even and calming. "Welcome to the team. You've already met Robin," he gestured to Robin in the grouping that had migrated into the living room, "and you've encountered Kid Flash."

Once again ignoring the recommendation to make slow and deliberate movements around her, Kid Flash appeared in front of her, kneeling on the ground and took her hand in his. "You can call me Wally," he smiled and kissed her hand, having already put their previous encounter out of mind.

Robin chuckled. "Careful Wally, you remember what she did when you attacked her from behind."

"Dude!" Wally protested but backed away all the same.

"Hi there. I'm M'gann M'orzz, but you can call me Megan. That's my earth name," the green skinned teenager introduced herself with a kind smile. "That's Superboy," she said after a few moments of silence when it seemed that the muscular, brooding teenager wasn't going to take the initiative.

"It's time to go Robin," Batman instructed. "You'll be safe here Catlyn. Get some sleep."

She nodded before really comprehending that she would be staying here. She looked to Robin who smiled and bid her goodnight.

"It'll be fun. Just wait."

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I know this was really long without too much action and not really any relation to the story line of the show, but that will change in the later chapters. Just so you know, this happened a few days before the episode "Welcome to Happy Harbor".

Please review and let me know what you think and any inconsistencies you may have noticed. I tried to keep everyone in character as much as I could but if I was way off base, please let me know so I can make better quality chapters. Thanks in advance and I hope you enjoyed it!

Update: I'm trying to get on track with the show's story line as quickly as I can, but I want to give y'all quality chapters so it might be a couple days between the updates. Thanks for bearing with me.


	2. A Cat In Gloves Catches No Mice

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I pretend to have any ownership of Young Justice or the DC Universe.**

**Notice: Thanks to NinjaSheik and Bloody Midnight for being the only ones to review before the second chapter went up. ****There were over 100 views and only two reviews.** Please review the story if you like it and before you favorite. 

* * *

**Captivating Sympathy  
****Chapter Two: A Cat In Gloves Catches No Mice**

Morning shone bright with promise for the future, but Catlyn couldn't shake a darkening fear of her past. It lay just out of her reach, taunting her endlessly. She slipped out from beneath the bundle of covers and placed her feet on cold brown stone of the living room floor. After stretching, she folded the blankets of her makeshift bed on the couch. A glace at the clock told her she had risen before the sun once again.

Protests from her stomach pulled her into the kitchen where, much to her surprise, Megan was standing in front of the oven.

"I didn't wake you up did I?" she asked worried.

Catlyn smiled and shook her head. While the martian took some getting used to, there was no denying how sweet and courteous she strived to be. There existed a kinship between the two outcasts that wanted nothing more than to be apart of something bigger than themselves. Their desires were something both could relate to, although their reasoning differed.

"If you keep thinking about it, you'll never get past it," Megan said, breaking the momentary silence. "I'm sure you'll get them back soon."

"You're right Megan," Catlyn sighed, wondering if Megan had read her mind to know of the thoughts that plagued her or if it was simply written plain as day across her face.

"Do you know what it was that called the other three away last night?" the martian asked in an attempt to take her teammate's mind off of her less than pleasant thoughts.

Once again, Catlyn shook her head as her stomach voiced its disapproval.

Megan smiled and moved into the living room, giving Catlyn an unblocked path to the refrigerator. She sat down on the couch and turned on the television for what Catlyn could only presume would be another cooking show marathon.

A bowl of cereal made for the perfect breakfast as far as Catlyn was concerned. It was something quick, easy, and, most importantly to her, something she remembered. She had finished about half of the bowl when Superboy emerged from the back hallway that led to the bedrooms.

"Hi Superboy. Did you sleep well?" Megan asked, tearing her attention from a show dictating the best way to make peanut butter cookies.

Compromised with a mouth full of cereal, Catlyn opted for a small wave towards the clone.

Superboy only nodded in response to both girls and headed for the kitchen.

Not yet finished with breakfast, Catlyn scooted around the island to make room for the silent teen. She reasoned he must not be a morning person.

After that thought crossed her mind, Megan seemed to relax and turned her attention back to the television. Most people might find the martian's near constant probing as an invasion of privacy, but Catlyn was curious on if the poking around might lead to a lost memory surfacing. It was easier to pretend she had no inclination that her thoughts were not confined to only her mind.

"Recognized, Aqualad. Three zero two," a female computerized voice announced.

As promised, Kaldur strolled out of the portal and looked around at the handful of teammates, barely suppressing a yawn.

"Late night?" Catlyn asked as a greeting while she moved to the dishwasher and deposited her cereal bowl and spoon. Beginning her second full day at Mount Justice, she had come into her own, feeling more at home than she would have thought possible.

Kaldur nodded and moved to the living room, sitting on the couch beside Megan. He lay his had back and closed his eyes before rubbing them vigorously with the heel of his palm.

"What happened?" Megan asked.

Superboy and Catlyn entered the living room to hear the retelling of last night. She sat on the couch resting on the half wall that divided the room form the kitchen while Superboy remained standing, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Robin, Wally, and myself thought Speedy would be a promising addition to the team, so we went out to find him. We fought along side him, but he declined when we offered him a spot. Turns out he's a free agent and wants to keep it like that. He thinks our team is a joke, something concocted by The League to keep us busy and out from underfoot," he explained. His tone implied he was torn on what to believe at this point. He glanced up at his teammates and smiled at Catlyn. "Are you going to spend all day in your pajamas?"

She blushed and realized she was indeed the only one not dressed. How could she tell Kaldur that she didn't have any clothes, that even these had been borrowed from Megan.

Fortunately, it was Megan that came to her rescue. "Hello Megan," she said, lightly hitting her forehead with the heel of her palm, "I completely forgot." She got up and took hold of Catlyn's hand. "I have something for you in my room. Let's go."

Catlyn felt her hand rise into the air as Megan took flight and practically dragged her through the cave and back into the cavernous hallway. She landed and opened the door, pushing Catlyn into the room in her excitement.

"I bought some clothes earlier, but I don't need them. The clothes I have on are organic and respond to my mental commands. I can literally change them," she said with a broad smile. "I want you to have them since I don't have a use for them. I'll leave you to get changed." She strode out of the room and gave Catlyn a smile before closing the door.

The bed was sagging under the weight of all the clothes piled on in a system of organized chaos.

She noticed right off the bat that the martian had a style all her own. Nothing was quite what she would have chosen, but her heart was filled with gratitude none the less. Catlyn picked through the massive collection, combining a strapless, empire cut white dress with a shimmering faux-lace covering, black leggings and a pair of black converse. She attached her whip to her waist and deemed herself dressed.

By the time she had changed and navigated the twisting hallways back to the main cave, Robin and Wally had arrived. They were rushing up to the others who were standing in front of a wall of holographic screens.

"Did you ask him?" Robin asked with excitement.

"What did he say?" Wally fallowed up, not giving enough time for anyone to answer the previous question first.

"Ask who what?" Catlyn asked waking up to the illuminated circle.

Robin and Wally turned to answer her, but were struck mute at the sight of her.

Catlyn gripped the hem of the dress nervously and looked down at the floor.

"He's arriving now," Kaldur said with a slight grin.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Wally asked, having recovered. He took off at a slow jog, leading the rest of the team to the main entrance of the cave.

"You look really good Cat," Megan smiled as she flew off behind Superboy leaving Catlyn to pick up the rear.

* * *

Catlyn glanced left and right, not seeing any signs of the approaching android. She wondered how he was getting here. On the computer screen, it showed his location, moving swiftly across the Atlantic ocean. Was he coming by boat? That didn't seem like the style of someone named Red Tornado. Her musings were interrupted by the wind picking up considerably. Looking up into the sky, she saw the head and torso of their babysitter, as Robin would say, while his legs seemed to generate a literal red tornado. "Answers that question," she mumbled.

"Red Tornado!" Wally called out in greeting coupled with an exaggerated wave.

"Greetings. Is there are reason you intercept me outside the cave?" the android asked.

"We hoped you had a mission for us," Kaldur explained.

"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility," Red Tornado answered simply.

"But it's been over a week," Robin protested. "And nothing-"

"You'll be tested soon enough," Red Tornado interrupted. "For the time being, simply enjoy each others company."

Robin glanced back at Catlyn who was fully focused on the android before returning his attention to Red Tornado.

"This team is not a social club," Kaldur reminded him, a bit of menace creeping into his tone.

"No," Red Tornado agreed, "but I am told that social interaction is an important team building exorcise. Perhaps you can keep busy by familiarizing yourself with the cave." he suggested before walking past the grouping of teenagers and into the cave.

"Keep busy," Wally repeated after a light punch to Robin's shoulder.

"Does he think we're falling for this?" Robin asked perturbed.

"Oh, I'll find out," Megan whispered, eager to contribute and be apart of the team. She narrowed her eyes in concentration but quickly sighed and looked down. "I'm sorry, I forgot he's a machine" she stammered. "Inorganic. I cannot read his mind," she clarified.

Catlyn put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Nice try though," Wally offered before his demeanor changed and he moved closer. "so, uh, you know what I'm thinking right now?" he asked suggestively.

Catlyn stepped back a couple steps before Robin nudged him with his elbow. "We all know what you're thinking right now," he accused.

"Ow," Wally said halfheartedly.

Kaldur looked down before resolving to do as Red Tornado instructed. "And now we tour the club house," he said somewhat bitterly.

"Well, Superboy, Cat, and I live here. We can play tour guides," Megan offered, looking with the rest of the team at Superboy for some sort of conformation.

"Don't look at me," he dismissed. He would walk with the team, but he would not be "playing tour guide".

"We wont," Wally assured, looking back to Megan and smirking. "A private tour sounds much more fun."

"She never said 'private'," Robin snapped.

"Team building," Kaldur mused. "We'll all go."

Catlyn walked up beside Megan as the group began to move and heard a unceremonious grunt come from Wally when Robin pulled him back by his arm and passed him.

"So, this would be our front door," Megan started, acting very much the part of a tour guide.

And so it went on. Megan was thorough with the tour of the cave. Every room, bathroom, and closet was shown off as though she were a real estate agent.

"And this would be the back. The cave is actually the entire mountain," she concluded nearly thirty minutes later.

"It was hallowed out and reinforced by Superman and the Green Lantern in the early days of the league," Wally added as the team made their way back into the cave.

"Then why abandon it for the Hall of Justice?" Superboy asked.

Catlyn was so surprised to hear him speak that it took her a split second to realize she had been wondering the same thing.

"The cave's secret location was, compromised," Kaldur explained.

"So they traded it in for a tourist trap? Yeah, that makes sense," Superboy said sarcastically.

Once again, Catlyn found herself agreeing with the moody teenager and nodded.

"If villains know of the cave, then we must be on constant alert," Megan reasoned, sticking her finger into the air as if she had deduced something no one had thought of.

Robin grasped her hand out of the air and held it in his. "The bad guys know we know they know about the place, so they'd never think to look here."

Catlyn blinked a few times as she tried to make sense of the string of "know"s.

Wally put his hand on top of Robin's which still had a light hold of Megan's who was in the process of worming her had free. "Uh, he means, we're hiding in plain sight," he offered.

"Ah, that's much clearer," Megan said, although it was lacking confidence and she scratched her head as if she were still puzzled.

Superboy sniffed the air and announced, "I smell smoke."

"My cookies!" Megan gasped before flying towards the kitchen, the others following her from a distance.

Using her telepathy, she opened the oven door and made the cookie sheet float out of the oven and land lightly on the granite top of the island just as the remainder of the team entered the kitchen. She looked disheartened at the charred and still sizzling cooking before her. "I was trying out Granny Joan's recipe from episode seventeen of, uh, never mind," she explained before trailing off embarrassed.

"She's been watching cooking shows and baking since you left," she mumbled to Robin who looked down at her and smiled.

"I bet they'd have tasted great," Robin assured moments before Wally took a bite out of one of the scorched cookies. "He doesn't seem to mind."

With a cookie in each hand, Wally looked around the group of people staring perplexedly at him. "I have a serious metabolism," he answered.

"I'll, make more?" Megan said in confusion, but happily all the same.

"It was sweet of you to make any," Kaldur said kindly, although he kept his distance from cookies.

"Thanks Aqualad," Megan said, clasping her hands in front of her.

"We're off duty," he reminded her. "Call me Kaldur."

"We trust you with our secret IDs, unlike Mr. Dark Glasses over here. Batman' forbidden Boy Wonder from telling anyone his real name," Wally jeered as Robin scowled.

"And we all know that Cat is Cat," Megan smiled, but stopped at the confused glances she was getting. "Do you not have nicknames on Earth?" she pondered.

Catlyn smiled and nodded. "We do, but you have to let people in on it before it's widely used," she explained.

"I like it," Robin said, smiling at both Megan and Catlyn.

With all the talk of names, Superboy began to take his leave and walk towards the living room. He paused and grunted, looking with wide eyes at Megan. He grabbed his head and practically snarled. "Get out of my head!"

Everyone looked between Superboy and Megan confused before her voice rang loud and clear within their minds.

"What's wrong? I don't understand. Everyone on Mars communicates telepathically," everyone heard. They all gripped their heads like Superboy had at the unnatural sensation of hearing a third party's voice with such certainty. It gave one the feeling of going mad.

"M'gann, stop," Kaldur commanded. "Things are different on Earth. Here, your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy," Kaldur broke down the concept for her.

"Besides," Wally joined in, "Cadmus' creepy little psychic genomes left a bad taste in his brain."

"I, I didn't mean to-" Megan began her apology.

"Just stay out!" Superboy commanded in a gruff voice before departing the group and sitting on the couch.

The air was heavy in the kitchen as Megan hung her head. The little bit of confidence she had about fitting in on Earth had been snatched away in a matter of seconds. With her sunny disposition, she didn't remain down long. "Hello Megan," she said, followed by her hitting her head lightly with the heel of her palm. "I know what we can do." She flew out of the kitchen without an explanation.

Robin and Catlyn glanced at each other, raising their shoulders in unison before resigning to follow after her.

They passed Megan as she headed back the way they had come. "Follow the hallway all the way down and wait for me by the last door on the left. I'll meet you there," she said before continuing on.

The team did as instructed and Catlyn couldn't help but smile when she saw Superboy walking behind a much happier looking Megan. The doors were parted and revealed what looked to be very large, deep crimson egg with purple markings.

"It's my Martian Bioship," she said gesturing to it.

"Cute," Wally answered while everyone else searched for words for such a strange looking spacecraft. "Not aerodynamic, but cute."

"It's a rest silly," Megan said with a smile. "I'll wake it." She raised her hand, palm toward the ship. Right before their eyes, the egg like shape morphed into an impressive design. She spun it around and opened the hull. "Well, are you coming?" she asked when no one followed her.

No one moved for a second. Catlyn took the first step and the others followed.

The interior of the ship held a wide array of purple hues and reacted to the number of people inside it. With a squelching sound, it produced six chairs and a martian steering mechanism.

"Strap in for launch," Megan said, sound a bit nervous.

Catlyn took a seat by the window with Robin to her left. She knew the disgust could be seen on her face from the feeling of the chair moving and creating the seat belt around her.

Robin chuckled before he too felt the odd sensation.

Apart from Megan herself, Wally seemed to be the only one that was not disturbed. "Cool."

Once everyone had been seated, Megan asked for Red Tornado to open the doors. He complied and the team was off and flying.

It was incredible. Catlyn had her face nearly pressed against the glass as the scenery whizzed past. Even without her memories, she was certain she had never experienced this before.

"Incredible," Robin agreed, pulling his gaze away from the window and turning to Megan.

"She sure is," Wally said dreamily. "I mean the ship," he stammered, pointing down at the control panel, "which like all ships is a she."

"Smooth," Catlyn teased.

"Fast with his feet, not so much with his mouth" Robin said with a smirk.

"Dude!" Wally called out from the other side of the cabin.

Kaldur leaned over and had a quick, one sided conversation with Superboy while Megan watched nervously.

"He'll come around," Robin whispered in response to the worried look in Megan's eyes.

"He doesn't seem to like me much," Megan said doubtfully. "He didn't even speak to me when I greeted him this morning."

"He didn't say anything to me either," Catlyn offered.

"But you didn't say anything to him," Megan pointed out.

"I didn't think drooling cereal would be the best morning greeting," Catlyn mumbled while pouting.

Robin covered his mouth and chuckled at the mental image playing in his mind.

"You guys remember he has _super_ hearing, right," Wally reminded.

The three teens looked nervously at Superboy who wasn't responding as if he head heard anything, although they knew better.

"Hey, how about showing us a little martian shape shifting?" Robin offered as a means to pass a little time and get Megan's mind off the brooding clone.

She complied and stood up, causing both Kaldur and Superboy to pivot in their seat so watch. The same squelching sound the bioship made when it changed was heard as Megan's form began to change. It started at her feet and traveled up her body, creating an image of Robin with one very distinct difference.

Catlyn stared and tried not to giggle.

To demonstrate how quickly the change could happen, she spun around, becoming Wally by the time she was back in her starting position. The copy was impressive, but still had the same inconsistency.

"It it wrong that I think I'm hot?" Wally asked with a dreamy expression.

Megan then morphed back into her usual attire.

"Impressive," Robin clapped, "but, you know you're not exactly going to fool anyone with those." Robin held his hands up. He had meant those particular copies and the move was only supposed to be a gesture.

Catlyn let loose a couple giggles and Robin quickly put his hands down once he realized what it looked like he was inferring.

"Mimicking boys is a lot harder," Megan admitted, slightly embarrassed.

"Why not try Cat," Wally suggested. As far as he was concerned, it was a win win. He would get to see Cat close up and Megan's confidence would more than likely go up.

"I could try," she smiled and made an exact copy of Catlyn.

"That's prefect!" Robin applauded.

Catlyn couldn't help but stare. She hadn't really thought about it before, but up until this point, she had even forgotten what she looked like. Now she realized why Robin and Wally had gaped at her earlier. Her black hair contrasted well with her porcelain skin and her eyes shone like emeralds. The dress hung her curves in a most flattering way and the leggings showed off her well defined, yet still feminine legs.

She looked away, now slightly uncomfortable.

"Are you okay Cat?" Robin asked as Megan once again morphed back into herself and glanced over nervously.

"Just stunned," Catlyn said with a forced smile. She seemed to have managed a somewhat convincing one because Megan smiled in return and sat back down in the pilot's chair.

"You're clothes," Kaldur started but trailed off.

Megan launched into her explanation of how her clothes were able to change with her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Robin asked quietly.

Catlyn nodded and gave another forced smile. When Robin's expression didn't brighten, she sighed quietly and hung her head. "I'll be okay," she mumbled. She saw him reach over and take hold of one of her hands and felt him lightly tilt her chin up so he was looking into her eyes.

"If you need to talk, I'm here," he said simply.

A genuine smile graced her lips as she nodded. "Thanks Robin."

"So long as they're the only ones," Superboy grumbled.

"Can you do that ghosting through walls think like Manhunter does?" Wally asked.

"Density-shifting? No," Megan admitted. "It's a very advanced technique."

Robin could see that the confidence she had attained with a perfect copy of Catlyn was slowly starting drift away. "Flash can vibrate his molecules right through a wall, but when he tries it, bloody nose," Robin chuckled. It was just his way of saying that everyone has problems with the advanced things, and if it came with an opportunity to tease Wally a bit, all the better.

"Dude!" Wally whined.

Wally might not have appreciated the telling of that particular story, but it seemed to have done the trick.

"Here's something I can do," said said before the squelching sound started again. "Camouflage mode,"she grinned, proud with herself.

They're joyriding was cut short when Red Tornado's voice came in over the radio. "Red Tornado to Miss Martian. An emergency alert has been triggered at the Happy Harbor Power Plant. I suggest you investigate, covertly. I'm sending coordinates."

"Received," Megan replied. "Adjusting course."

Robin scoffed. "Tornado's keeping us busy again."

"Well, a simple fire led you to Superboy," she reminded him. "We should find out what caused the alert."

"I think I know the cause," Superboy said as he looked out the window.

A tornado was fast approaching. Catlyn didn't think there was any way the ship was going to make it out of the way in time. Sure enough, the ship was sucked into the wall of the tornado where the camouflage mode blinked before dissipating. The team was feeling the effects of the tornado's force as they tumbled and spun around the edge of the cyclone.

Megan concentrated harder on freeing the ship, and with a burst of speed, the team was able to make it out without serious damage. She landed the ship and instructed everyone to jump through the hole she created on the floor of the ship.

"Robin, are tornadoes common in New England?" Kaldur asked. "Robin?"

Both Kaldur and Megan looked for Robin only to find him missing.

Catlyn heard a familiar mischievous laugh echoing around them. She marveled at his speed and stealth. "He's inside," Catlyn said with certainty.

"He was just here," Megan protested.

Glass shattered from what looked like powerful gusts of wind and fell to the street below.

"No time to argue about it now!" Catlyn yelled as she took off and readied her whip.

The team ran through the double doors to the power plat just as Robin slid down a pillar and crumpled to the floor.

Superboy appeared beside him, backing off slightly as Robin tried to sit up. "Whose your friend?" he asked, glaring at the towering red android responsible.

"Didn't catch his name," Robin said before yelling after Superboy's retreating back, "but he plays kinda rough."

Catlyn knelt beside him as the villain started speaking.

"My apologies, you may address me as Mr. Twister."

* * *

I know it's a really bad place to leave off, but it was getting so long and I had to find a stopping place. I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one. I wanted to get it out as soon as possible and still give you a quality fanfic.


	3. To Bell A Cat

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I pretend to have any ownership of Young Justice or the DC Universe. I do however take full ownership of Catlyn.**

**I'm so glad that people keep coming back to read more, but I would really appreciate some feedback before you favorite.**

* * *

**Captivating Sympathy**  
**Chapter Three: To Bell A Cat**

Recap: The team ran through the double doors to the power plat just as Robin slid down a pillar and crumpled to the floor.

Superboy appeared beside him, backing off slightly as Robin tried to sit up. "Whose your friend?" he asked, glaring at the towering red android responsible.

"Didn't catch his name," Robin said before yelling after Superboy's retreating back, "but he plays kinda rough."

Catlyn knelt beside him as the villain started speaking.

"My apologies, you may address me as Mr. Twister."

* * *

Twin tornadoes were produced from a valve beneath the gauntlets on both arms.

Superboy tried to burst through them, but they proved too resilient and he was ensnared in a third sent racing towards him. He spun in the cyclone much as the ship had, only he was unable to escape before crashing into the cement wall. He fell too the floor with a grunt, landing on his stomach.

Megan watched in shock before turning to Aqualad and Kid Flash who donned his trademark goggles.

Catlyn tried to help Robin up, but he stubbornly stood up under his own power, clutching a wound on his side and glaring. From her position on the ground, she scanned their adversary for a weakness in his fighting style.

Aqualad gave the nod and the team was off, nearly trampling Catlyn who held her position low on the cement floor.

Kid Flash took off and with a low, front hand spring, catapulted him through the air. With his feet mere inches from Mr. Twister's chest, a wall of wind changed his course and he was sent flying out another set of large double doors. He was traveling with such velocity that he created a trough in the ground a good twenty feet before coming to rest.

Catlyn wondered if their foe had tornado generators in the back as well. She wanted to yell out that frontal attacks were going to prove costly to the team, but it was too late.

Aqualad and Megan were captured by two twisters before they were even in range to attack and were sent all the way across the power plant, colliding hard with walls and pillars before landing on the concrete below.

Robin watched as his teammates were more or less decimated without leaving so much as a scratch on their opponent and glared fiercely when Mr. Twister spoke once again.

"I was prepared to be challenged by a superhero. I was not however expecting children." the robotic voice said.

Robin gritted his teeth and clutched an exploding disk behind his back.

Catlyn reached out to tug on his jacket, to tell him not to reveal his weapons prematurely. The element of surprise could still see them through this battle.

He growled and threw the exploding disks. "We're not children!"

Or maybe it wouldn't. She dropped her outstretched arm and sunk even lower to the ground.

More wind was generated, causing one disk to explode heedlessly while the other embedded itself into the adversary's chest. With a flick of a large finger, the disk was detached moments before it detonated.

Catlyn thought it strange that Mr. Twister didn't react to how deeply the disk was embedded.

"Objectively you are," he corrected. "Have you no adult supervision?" he taunted. "I find your presence here quite, disturbing."

"Well, we'd hate to see you _disturbed_," Robin spat sarcastically as the members of the team that had tasted plaster moved to gather behind him. "Let's see if you're more _turbed_ once we kick your can!"

After Robin's bit of banter with the towering foe, Megan raised both hands to the level of her chest, clenched her fingers and pulled her arms back.

The effect was near instantaneous. A low hanging, rounded piece of metal was crushed, releasing steam that targeted Mr. Twister.

Using the steam as a smoke screen, Superboy leaped into action, only to be blown away once again. He collided first with a metal beam of infrastructure before falling into Megan, affectively knocking her out of flight.

Aqualad and Robin avoided the pair as they plummeted to the ground only to be sucked up by twin cyclones and made to collide themselves.

Using her team's attempts at a frontal assault as a distraction, she belly crawled toward the tornado creating menace. She only got a quick glace before Mr. Twister turned slightly.

"Indeed, that was quite turbing. Thank you." he taunted before flying out the double doors Kid Flash had been forced out of earlier.

"Why didn't you fight?" Superboy snarled at Catlyn who was still down near the ground. He raced towards her, towering over her with menace in his eyes. "Tell me!" he demanded.

Catlyn was caught between fear and pride. In this instance, her pride won out. She stood up quickly, fists clenched at her side and her eyes fixed in a hard glare. "Fighting is more than swinging your fists like neanderthals! You have to have a strategy!" she hissed. "The lines he uses to generate tornadoes are on his back. That's his weak point," she reported. "If we attack him there-"

"Fighting a man with his back turned is not honorable," Aqualad scolded in his even voice.

The sounds of combat wafted in from outside, ending the conversation.

Megan led the team, following the path taken by Mr. Twister. "I got ya Wally," she said, holding his body telepathically and letting him down gently.

"Woah, thanks," he said looking at his team members. "Where's Cat?"

"I'm here," came a small voice as Catlyn came into view, her head hanging low.

"I would have thought you would have all learned your limitations by now," Mr. Twister said matter 'o factly.

"What do you want?" Aqualad yelled.

It startled Catlyn to hear her teammate in a way that wasn't calm and collected.

Mr. Twister flew in the air. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked, almost laughing. "I'm waiting for a real hero."

"Read his mind," Aqualad commanded. "Find a weakness."

Right, because that's honorable, Catlyn mentally cursed.

"But, I thought I wasn't supposed to do that," Megan said both worried and confused.

"It's okay with the bad guys," Robin snapped.

Megan closed her eyes and put two fingers to her head in concentration before clenching her eyes in frustration. "I'm getting nothing," she reported before opening her eyes. "Hello Megan," she said with her trademark knock to her forehead. "Mr. Twister is Red Tornado in disguise," she exclaimed excitedly, gesturing to the floating android. "He's inorganic, an android. How many androids do you know that can generate tornadoes?"

"Red Tornado sent us here," Aqualad realized.

"After saying we'd be tested soon enough," Robin spat to Wally. "This is his test, something to keep us busy."

"Speedy called it," Wally said disheartened. "We're a joke."

Aqualad slammed his left fist into his right palm in an outburst of anger before turning and walking to the floating android.

"This game, so over," Wally decided as he and Robin followed Aqualad's lead.

Catlyn thought about the limited information she had on Red Tornado. Testing the team like this didn't seem to fit with what she had seen from him so far. Rather than argue, she watched her teammates along side Superboy and Megan. Surely they would know better than she would.

"We know who you are and what you want," Robin said angrily.

"So let's end this," Aqualad said in a disgruntled tone.

"Consider it ended," Mr. Twister grumbled before raising his arms into the air and generating two tornadoes. The sky above them darkened and an ominous feeling grew within the pit of Catlyn's stomach.

"An impressive show," Aqualad yelled over the sound of the increasing wind, "but we will not indulge you! We will not engage!"

Lightning flashed within the eye of the created storm, illuminating the look of uncertainty on Wally's face.

"Uh, guys? Can Red Tornado do that?" he asked in reference to the lightning that was becoming more and more frequent.

"You think I'm tornado? How ironic," the android said before an explosion from the lightning blew everyone back several feet.

Catlyn curled up into a ball, feeling the appearance of several bruises coming.

The ground rumbled beneath her and Superboy's grunts affirmed her suspension that he had tried to engage him in battled head to head once again.

Electricity crackled louder and louder as Mr. Twister approached, but soon disipated.

Catlyn chanced to look and saw him staring perplexedly, slightly off from their position on the ground.

Megan placed a hand over Wally's mouth.

"Fine then, I won't deny you children have power, but playing hide and seek with you will not help me achieve my objectives. So stay concealed," Mr. Twister warned. "If you confront me again, I will show no mercy!" He clenched his fist and electricity crackled around it before he departed.

"What happened?" Wally asked dazed.

"I placed the bioship between us," Megan said quietly.

Superboy decimated a boulder on the side of the trench he made upon landing. "And that's supposed to make it right?" he grumbled prior to walking over to Megan. "You tricked us into thinking Twister was Red Tornado," he accused.

"She didn't do it on purpose," Aqualad defended.

"It was a rookie mistake. We shouldn't have listened," Robin admitted.

"You are pretty inexperienced," Wally said shrugging. "Hit the showers. We'll take it from here."

"Stay out of our way," Superboy snarled at both Megan and Catlyn before taking off and bounding after Mr. Twister with Kid Flash and Robin hot on his heels.

"I was just trying to be part of the team," Megan said, hanging her head in defeat.

"To be honest, I'm not sure we even have a team," Aqualad said as he too ran after his male teammates.

"I thought it made sense," Catlyn lied as she placed a comforting hand on Megan's shoulder who gave a sad smile in return. "Let's follow them," she said, standing up and pointing to the ship.

Megan opened the hatch and the two climbed into the ship.

Catlyn chewed on her bottom lip before resigning herself to asking Megan. "Is it normal for villains to cause pointless damage in order to get a hero's attention?" What she was really wondering was if even the villains the team fought were more honorable than she was.

"I don't know. I'm going to contact Red Tornado," she admitted before getting him on a holographic screen in front of her. "The team really needs your help," she said, pleading with him to join the fray.

"If I were to intervene, it would not be to help," Red Tornado said. "Still, it is an odd coincidence that, this twister, shares my elemental abilities, _and_ my immunity to telepathy" he concluded.

"That's how we can plan," Catlyn said, turning to the martian.

"Hello Megan," she smiled, hitting her forehead before concentrating on reaching everyone telepathically. "Listen to me," she started, "all of you."

"What did we tell you," Superboy's familiar snarl answered back.

"I know! And I know I messed up, but now I'm very clear on what we need to do."

Catlyn found herself clutching her head, the feeling of madness creeping up once more. It was something she was going to have to get used to if this plan was ever going to succeed.

"Please," Megan pleaded, "trust me."

* * *

Catlyn was deposited behind a damaged boat rental post, her whip at the ready.

People ran from the tornado generating android, only pausing as a red blur was seen shooting across the sky. Further inspection revealed that Red Tornado had come to save what remained of the lakeside town.

"Hit the showers boys," Megan said in Red Tornado's robotic voice as the android landed in front of the male population of the team. "I was hopping you could handle this. Clearly, you cannot."

"But we've got a plan now," Robin protested.

"The subject is not up for debate," she replied, dismissing the matter and the team who departed with their shoulders slouched.

"I was beginning to believe you'd never show up," Mr. Twister confided in a cocky tone.

"I am here now," Megan said as if that settled the matter.

Unseen by Mr. Twister, Wally waited for his cue. He ran as fast as he could, spinning his arms and generating his own tornado. With this strategy he met an actual cyclone from Mr. Twister head on, disappearing before his wall of wind could dissipate.

"We are evenly matched Twister," Megan observed before calling forth Wally for another tornado, this time, pelting Mr. Twister with rocks of a substantial size.

"No we are not!" Mr. Twister disagreed, ramming his fist into the ground, creating a wall of wind to deflect the incoming debris. Getting tired of going twister to twister with Red Tornado, he resolved to shooting electricity, following his opponents every move. When Red Tornado took cover behind a beached boat, he shot his electricity at the gas tank, creating a sizable explosion and knocking Red Tornado to the ground.

That was just what Catlyn had been waiting for. With Wally as her steed, they raced up behind Mr. Twister who had not noticed their arrival. Catlyn hopped off Wally's back and looked at him questioningly. Was it really alright to attack from behind now?

Wally gave a "hurry up" motion before departing for his next part of the unspoken plan.

"Remain still android," Mr. Twister commanded as wires flowed from his fingertips. "Reprogramming won't take long."

Megan turned her head and grabbed hold of the wires before her head morphed back to its usual appearance. "Longer than you might think."

Catlyn snapped the whip and ensnared the neon blue hoses on the back of Mr. Twister and pulled as hard as she could. Her efforts were rewarded when she felt them give and detach, leaving him unable to generate any more cyclones. She dove into a forward roll, narrowly avoiding Mr. Twister as Megan sent him sprawling into a Wally created tornado.

Mr. Twister's path was adjusted and he was flung into an area where Superboy was ready and waiting for him.

Superboy landed a hard punch on Twister's chest before wrapping one of his powerful arms around Twister's upon which time he continued to pummel his torso. Electricity crackled and Superboy gave one final punch, letting go of his adversary and sending him into the lake.

Aqualad had time to find a boat anker before a definitive splash announced that it was his turn. He sped through the water and swung his impromptu weapon, landing a clean hit on the android's chest. Using the eel tattoos on his arms, he produced several hundred volts of electricity and used the anker as a conductor.

Not able to take the voltage which was amplified under water, the suit exploded, detaching one arm in the process and sending him back on solid land and back to Megan.

She took hold of him telepathically and relieved him of his other arm while Robin ran beneath the pair and knocked Twister out of the sky with the use of his exploding disks.

The android got to his knees and looked at the team that was finally acting like one.

Much to Catlyn's surprise, Mr. Twister's chest opened, revealing what looked to be a scrawny, lanky, monkey-esque man. An android inside of an android she thought, hoping the suit held the power and there wasn't going to be another round.

"Foul! I, I call foul," it said, reaching out as if for assistance.

Not trusting its intentions for a second, Catlyn ensnared it within the grasp of her whip, holding him in place while Megan levitated a boulder.

"M'gann no!" Aqualad protested, but it was too late. The boulder plummeted to the ground and crushed any possible threat the android contained.

Robin and Wally looked bemused and slightly disturbed at what had just transpired. Robin's expression melted into anger and frustration as he looked to both girls. "Don't know how things are done on Mars, but on Earth, we don't execute our captives! And you," he said turning to Catlyn, "why did you do that!"

Anger flared up inside Catlyn so much so that she trembled letting it loose. "What? Is it not _honorable _to kill an android?" She began walking away from the group without waiting for a response. It's not like she really belonged with them.

"You said you trusted me," Megan smiled, levitating the boulder to reveal the decimated machine beneath it. "That's why I couldn't read his mind," she explained.

"You could have clued us into that before," Robin scolded. "You told Catlyn."

"No I didn't," Megan said innocently.

Wally's eyes brightened when he saw one of the android's disconnected eyes. "Cool, souvenir," he said, flipping it into the air and catching it.

"We should have had more faith in you. You deserve an apology," Aqualad said, placing a hand on her shoulder and glancing subtly at Superboy.

"She's not the only one," Robin mumbled before walking after Catlyn and heard one of Wally's lame puns from behind.

He found her sitting on the edge of a dock that had remained intact with her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, holding them close to her chest. He sat down next to her and looked out over the lake, at a loss for what to say until he remembered her wording: honorable.

"What Kaldur said really got to you huh?"

Catlyn nodded but didn't look at him.

He nudged her shoulder with his. "Come on, it's time to get back to HQ," he said, taking one of her hands in his and standing up.

She shook her head and gently pulled her hand out from his. "I'm not going," she said, still not looking at him.

"What do you mean you're not going?" Robin asked as he sat back down. He took a gentle hold of her chin and turning her head, dropping his hold on her when he saw how terrified she looked. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and held her close to him. "What's wrong?"

Catlyn shook her head again, but tears had already started to prick her eyes. She couldn't lie her way out and sighed. "I don't belong here," she said simply.

"What are you talking about? Of course you-"

"I don't know how I can do the things I can do. I don't know why I needed these skills. What, what if we weren't fighting on the same side back then?" she interrupted. "What if I was like Twister?"

Robin chuckled, "You mean an android?" he joked. He gave her shoulders another squeeze before continuing. "It doesn't matter who you were before, you're you now. We're all just turbed you're on the team," he smiled. "And being part of the team means we have to get back to the ship before they leave without us, so let's go." He bent down and hoisted her over his shoulder, keeping an arm wrapped firmly around the back of her knees.

Catlyn gasped, "Robin! Let me down!" she demanded.

Even though he couldn't see her face, Robin knew she was smiling again. "Can't do that," he insisted. "You might make a run for it."

She struggled a bit before giving in, but not without first issuing a command, "Don't you dare fart."

Out of everything he was expecting she might say, that was missing from the list. He laughed, doubling over for a time before calming down and starting back to the others again.

* * *

The team in its entirety was gathered around a metal table with the remains of the android on its surface.

"I was clearly created to sabotage or destroy you," Kaldur said to Red Tornado.

"Agreed," the android said simply.

"Is that why you wouldn't help us?" Megan asked.

"No. This was your battle," Red Tornado explained. "I do not believe it is my role to solve problems for you, nor should you solve mine for me."

This announcement took everyone by surprise, effectively tearing their attention away from whatever projects they had been involved with.

"But, if you're in danger," Megan reasoned.

"Consider this matter closed," he said, ending the conversation and taking his leave.

"Batman, Aquaman and Flash, they'd have jumped right in to fix things," Wally marveled.

"Guess if we're going to have a babysitter, a heartless machine is exactly what we need," Robin mused.

Catlyn nudged him with her elbow and Wally whispered, "Dude. Harsh!"

"And inaccurate," Red Tornado corrected without turning. "I have a heart, carbon-steel alloy." He stopped walking and turned, "I also have excellent hearing."

Catlyn giggled softly, "And a sense of humor."

Robin chuckled nervously. "Right, sorry. I'll strive to be, more accurate."

"And more respectful," Kaldur added for him.

It seemed sufficient enough for Red Tornado who resumed his walk down the hallway.

"Speedy was so wrong," Wally said boastfully.

"This team thing," Robin started.

"Might just work out," Kaldur finished for him.

"Wait, does Speedy have super speed too?" Catlyn asked confused.

"No, he's a archer," Kaldur clarified.

"So is Wally actually the Flash's kid?" Catlyn tried again.

"No, but we are related," Wally explained.

"Congratulations Wally, your name officially makes no sense," she said, flinging her hands up into the air with frustration.

Her outburst was received with a variety of reactions: Kaldur smiled, Robin chuckled and Wally sulked until he couldn't hide his smile anymore.

Megan looked happily at the unity of the team, not realizing she was alone with Superboy until he looked at her.

"Sorry," he said simply, sincerely, before following the others, leaving Megan who smiled ever wider.

* * *

I hope you like this chapter. I don't know what it is about this fanfic, but I can't seem to shut up. Did you like the Robin/Catlyn fluff? I'm trying to keep him in character, which I hope I'm not failing at. If you have anything in mind you think I could improve on, please let me know.


	4. Birth Of The Black Cat

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I pretend to have any ownership of Young Justic****e or the DC Universe. I do however take full ownership of Catlyn... and that's about it.**

**This is a fluffy chapter. ****You have been warned.**

**I want to thank ****mahlia**** for acting as my unofficial Beta for this chapter. She was catching things I thought I had fixed and brought new things to light. This chapter goes out to her.**

**Captivating Sympathy  
Chapter Four: Birth Of The Black Cat**

* * *

Images of a time spent by the sea dominated Catlyn's dreams time and time again. She didn't know if they were memories of a simpler time, or just a fabrication of her wayward mind. The only thing she was sure of was the voice that would join her no matter the setting, "It doesn't matter who you were before, you're you now."

No longer was she camping on the couch in the living room. Things had changed for the better. Her room was ready for her along with a bathroom she shared with no one.

She sat up in her bed and stretched, popping her back and relieving a nights worth of tension from her tight muscles.

Once limber, Catlyn stumbled the short distance to her bathroom. She got a hair-tie and gathered up as much hair as she could from the front of her pixie cut. Her hair, once gathered by the small rubber ring, stood straight up in the air and out of her face. She grabbed a washcloth and soap before scrubbing her face vigorously, trying to fight off the remaining fatigue. Now slightly more awake, she left the bathroom and headed for the kitchen.

She didn't worry about taking her hair down. Superboy had taken to sleeping in and taking off. He would come back hours later with rips in his shirt and holes in his jeans, but there was almost an air of peace around him when he returned. Megan had told her the night before that she and Kaldur would be getting up early and going to an open air market and wouldn't be back until mid afternoon. As far as she could figure, she had the cave completely to herself.

That was, of course, before she heard a muffled laugh from the living room.

"That's an interesting look," Robin sniggered, his gaze focusing on her gravity defying tuft of hair.

Catlyn was wide awake now and froze with two possible options before her: either take down her hair and never speak of it again, or play along since he had already seen it.

"I was thinking about having it up like this for our next mission," she said, posing with a hand behind her head.

"I wouldn't recommend that for covert operations," a dark and brooding voice said from behind her.

Catlyn dropped her arm and stiffened up immediately, her eyes widening. She leaned her head back as if looking at the ceiling. Rather than the stone canopy above, she saw Batman's upside down masked face looking down at her.

Robin meanwhile was doubled over on the couch, his arms around his stomach as he laughed until a solitary tear slid from beneath his dark glasses.

Catlyn gave an embarrassed laugh and quickly took her hair down. She looked at the floor, practically feeling the heat rush to her face.

"Now that you're both here, and paying attention," Batman began after Robin had sobered.

"Sorry Batman," Robin chuckled. "What mission needs just the two of us?"

Batman looked at Robin's expectant face and down at Catlyn who had regained control of her blush, for the most part. "School," he answered simply. "Starting tomorrow, Catlyn will be the newest student at Gotham City Academy."

"What?" Catlyn protested.

"You have already been enrolled. You need to continue your education." Batman said, leaving no room for discussion. "Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," she mumbled defeated.

"Good," Batman said, a small trace of a smile breaking his stern expression. "I have to get back to work," he said, excusing himself.

Catlyn sat down on the couch beside a still beaming Robin and punched him lightly in the arm. "You jerk. You could have told me he was here," she pouted, crossing her arms and slouching into the cushions.

Robin chuckled. "Where's the fun in that?" he teased.

"I don't know how you work with him," Catlyn announced after a moment of somewhat comfortable silence. "Is he that serious all the time?"

"Nah, he has his moments," Robin reassured. He nudged her shoulder much like he had that one afternoon on the dock. "Just relax," he smiled. "He wouldn't bother getting you into school if he didn't think you were worth it."

"Recognized, Kid Flash. Three zero three," the female computerized voice rang though the cave.

"Hey Rob, Cat," Wally called out, making a bee-line for the refrigerator.

Robin raised up a hand and gave a simple three-fingered wave.

"Raiding the fridge again Wally?" Catlyn teased, walking into the kitchen to prepare her usual bowl of cereal.

Wally emerged from the depths of the refrigerator with an apple in hand. He turned to argue but gave Catlyn a once over instead, taking in her camisole and mid thigh shorts, and smiled lasciviously. "Did you wear that just for me? I like the view" he smirked.

Catlyn had heard Wally come on to Megan many times before, so it really didn't surprise her that his attention would shift to her in the Martian's absence. "Oh, how did you know," she answered sarcastically in a flat tone, digging into her breakfast.

Wally opened his mouth to continue pestering her, but before her got a chance, Robin suggested that they have a sparring match while Cat got changed and he leaped at the opportunity. "Let me just get out of my civies," he said excitedly prior to disappearing.

"Thanks for that," Catlyn said before Wally returned.

Robin only smirked and nodded in response.

"What are we waiting for?" Wally asked reappearing in his yellow and red super-suit, leading the way to the sparring ring. "Hey Supey."

Superboy walked out from the hallway and veered towards the rear entrance.

"Where are you going?" Catlyn asked.

"Out," came his short reply.

Catlyn had realized that Superboy's people skills were severely lacking so she didn't take his rash behavior to heart, something she had been trying to teach Megan.

Now that the distractions were gone, her mind drifted to the subject of school. She lost her appetite soon after.

Rather than getting changed, Catlyn slipped passed the sparring boys and out through the rear entrance of the cave. She walked to the rim of the sheer cliff that dropped straight down and sat with her legs dangling over the edge, looking out across the water. The quiet was calming and she was able to let her mind wander. Had she been to school before? She must have. How much would she remember? Would she make a fool out of herself? She was so lost in thoughts that the sound of someone kicking a loose stone cause her to jump and absentmindedly reach for her missing whip.

"I thought I might find you here," Robin said, slipping out into the sunlight.

Catlyn breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me," she admitted, placing a hand over her heart before turning for another look at the horizon.

Robin smiled and sat down next to her. "Okay, what's on your mind?" he asked after a couple minutes, snapping her from her thoughts.

"Huh? Nothing," she lied none-too-convincingly.

He stared pointedly back at her with a half smile that told her he wasn't buying it.

She sighed and wondered if she was really so easy to read. "It's stupid, just worried about tomorrow."

"So you can face down a ten foot android with no problem, but the idea of a classroom makes you quake in your boots?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow.

Catlyn couldn't help but smile and nudged him with her shoulder. "Well of course it sounds silly when you say it like that."

He grinned at her, quite please with himself. "Anything else?"

She shook her head. "No, I think I'm-"

Cold water doused the pair and Wally's laugh could be heard from above. "Bulls-eye! Is it true? Do cat's hate water?" he snickered from his place on a cut in of rock higher up on the mountain.

"I'll get you for this Wally!" Catlyn yelled up the side of their mountain stronghold. The only response she got was a mocking laugh. She shook her head quickly, trying to dry her hair as much as possible.

"Hey, watch it," Robin chuckled beside her, his hands at chest level and palms facing outward.

She stopped mid shake and giggled at the sight of him. Not only was he wet from the initial water attack, but he now had little droplets of water shimmering on his glasses.

"So you think this is funny?" he asked, smirking.

She giggled behind her hands and shook her head.

Robin mimicked Catlyn's earlier actions and whipped his head from side to side.

She turned her head and giggled a little harder, raising her arms to deflect the assaulting water droplets. Suddenly, she felt something land in her lap and the water stopped. When she looked down, she saw Robin's trademark dark glasses. Without even contemplating that she should take advantage of this opportunity to see his eyes, Catlyn looked the other way and held his glasses out for him.

An awkward silence settled between the two after he took the glasses and put them back on.

A cool breeze wafted across the water, chilling Catlyn, making her rub her arms to rid herself of goosebumps.

Robin slipped out of his jacket and draped it across her shoulders. "You didn't have to do that you know," he said in an effort to ease the mounting tension.

She nodded her head and pulled the jacket closer around her. "Thanks, and yes I did. If you wanted me to know, you'd show me yourself," she reasoned.

Her features twisted as a mischievous Cheshire grin spread across her lips. "I know how to get Wally back," she said in response to his questioning look. She leaned over and whispered her plan in his ear.

He had to smile. Not only was it sure to work, but her breath tickled his ear as well. He stood up, still grinning, and offered her his hand, hauling her up to her feet. "How about you get changed first," he suggested. "For real this time."

She rolled her eyes but complied all the same, handing him his jacket before heading down the hallway towards her bedroom. She made quick work of changing into a pair of mid thigh length jean shorts and a red tank-top. She slipped on a pair of black flip flops and left to collect Robin.

Her hand found his and she pulled him back into her room, closing the door behind them. "Have any luck finding him?" she asked excitedly.

He smirked at her enthusiasm and shook his head. "He'll go the fridge soon enough," he assured her.

"That just mean's we'll have to work fast," Catlyn said, not to be deterred. From her closet, she retrieved a toy stuffed mouse Megan had given her the day before, what with Cat turning into such a promising nickname, and a roll of fishing line used to bind her whip for repairs.

"Planning this for a while?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous smirk.

"Who, me?" she asked, feigning innocence, although her devious smile gave her away.

He chuckled and hurried her out of the bedroom and out into the main area of the cave.

Working together, they quickly secured a piece of fishing line around the toy stuffed mouse and tied the other end to the handle of the refrigerator. The mouse was tucked in between the side of the fridge and the counter, completely out of sight.

They sat on the couch in the living room, waiting quietly, well, almost quietly.

"Will you stop fidgeting?" Robin chuckled, placing his hand on top of Catlyn's which was currently drumming on the arm of the couch.

She grinned bashfully, "Sorry."

A blur of color hurried past. Wally paused in the kitchen and gave them a smug smile. "I expected more from the two of you," he dismissed before turning to the refrigerator. He grasped the handle and yanked open door, causing the stuffed mouse to zip across the floor from its hiding place.

Had the pair on the couch not seen it with their own eyes, they would have thought Megan had been the one to encounter the fake mouse.

Wally let out a high pitched squeak and dashed onto the the island counter.

Catlyn, who had turned to see the spectacle, giggled and leaned into Robin.

"Dude, you scream like a girl!" Robin taunted before he burst out laughing at the sight of Wally huddled on the counter.

"I told you I'd get you," Catlyn said with a satisfied grin.

Wally was a good sport and soon found the humor, laughing with the others. "Alright, you got me," he admitted. "Guess I'll just have to be more careful next time."

Next time? What had she just gotten herself into?

* * *

Catlyn's mind raced, keeping her well off the shores of sleep. It was nearly midnight, and that only added to her worries. So much for getting a good night's sleep before her torment began. By the time sleep claimed her, it felt as if she only blinked when there was an impatient rapping on her door.

She groaned and pulled the covers over her head, willing the intruder to go away. No such luck.

The door was unlocked and Batman stood in the doorway, a bundle of cloth in his arms. He crossed the room in three gigantic strides and peeled the covers away from her head. "It's time to get up."

Catlyn shrunk under the intensity of his gaze. She felt the bundle be set down at the foot of her bed and watched Batman leave, closing the door behind him. She glanced over at the clock and let out another groan, 5:30. Why did morning have to be so early?

Not wanting another run in with Batman while in her pajamas, she dressed in the school uniform, stumbling occasionally until the fog of fatigue cleared. She glanced in the mirror and blanched at her appearance. A blue sweater vest with the academy's gold insignia on the left breast was layered over a plain white, buttoned down collared shirt. The blue and gold plaid skirt ended an inch or so above her knees, the hem nearly kissing the tops of the blue knee socks. The only saving grace was that she could opt to wear tennis shoes, so long as they were blue of course.

She then migrated into the bathroom to wash her face, brush her teeth, and apply a minimal amount of makeup.

Batman was mulling around the cave's informational data center when Catlyn managed to find him.

"Empty your bag," he ordered.

She opened her mouth to protest, but realized it would accomplish nothing other than aggravating the both of them. Her hand grappled with her bag's contents, laying a variety of colored notebooks and writing utensils on the loan metal table.

"Everything," Batman prodded.

Catlyn sighed, reaching into her bag and deposited her whip on the table with everything else.

Batman actually smiled. "Good, you're going prepared."

* * *

The ride to school was not what she would have expected. Batman remained in his suit, but they took a black Porsche with tinted windows rather than the iconic Batmobile. Catlyn wondered about what Batman did when he wasn't fighting crime. Was he ever not fighting crime? Did he have an office he went to dressed like that? Her musings became more and more obscure, but they helped distract her from what loomed a head.

Batman stopped the car a good two blocks from Gotham City Academy and gave Catlyn directions from there.

Of course she knew that Batman couldn't just stroll into the school with her, but she still wished she wasn't going at this alone. She hugged her bag to her chest, walking at an idle pace.

Her stroll ended all too quickly and she found herself waiting outside the double doors of the administrative office.

She was handed her schedule and the combination to her assigned locker and waved away as if she were nothing more than a bad smell.

The halls were scarcely populated, but it appeared everyone had taken notice of the new skinny girl with the short cropped hair. Catcalls and shouts of "fresh meat" and even "go home," followed her down the long corridor and Catlyn wanted nothing more then to disappear.

Her nails dug into her bag as the time came that the calls and jeers had lost their embarrassment factor and became down right annoying. The consistency of such juvenile tactics slowly coerced her annoyance into bubbling anger. She felt pity for the next person to cross her.

Still grumbling to herself, she reached her locker and entered the combination. She swung it open and began putting her school supplies away when she heard the sound of several people approaching. She could feel their eyes on her and the lingering silence was only putting her more on edge.

"What?" she snapped, not bothering to turn around.

"Well never mind," a snooty male voice said haughtily. "Why don't you go home fresh meat," he jeered, joined by the obnoxious laughter of his cohorts.

That was the last straw for Catlyn. She spun on her heel and faced them, her hands balled up into fists by her sides. "I can't find bugger all around here and you expect me to get to an exit?" she asked disbelievingly. "By all means Copernicus, lead the way," she challenged, gesturing to the grand expanse of the hallway.

Grumbling and defeated, the group of boys departed, their proverbial tails between their legs.

From beneath her locker door, she could see a pair of khaki slacks approaching and stop as the torso attached leaned against the wall of lockers.

"Making friends already I see," a familiar voice said with the hint of a smirk from the other side of her locker door..

Catlyn froze, not expecting to run it Robin so soon, or at all for that matter. "How did you find me?" she asked into her locker. She felt like such an idiot.

"Are you kidding?" Robin chuckled, leaning his back flat against the locker nearest hers. "I could hear you all the way down the hall."

The bell sounded loud through the hallway, signaling the students that they only had five minutes before classes started.

She placed a hand on the outside edge of her locker door and closed it, turning away from Robin. "I guess I'll see you later, uh," she mumbled. She couldn't just call him Robin. The need to escape this school and crawl into a dark hole became almost overwhelming.

"Dick," Robin answered, catching her hand and giving it a slight tug, effectively spinning her around. He curled his index finger and propped her chin up, "And class is this way."

Catlyn couldn't help herself. She looked up at Robin and saw the warmest and most inviting blue eyes she had ever seen looking down at her, crinkled in a smile. She blinked several times and looked down, feeling her face grow warm. "Right," she tried to cover.

"Let's go Cat," he grinned, leading her down another wing. "You'll get used to it."

She stole another glace of his face and allowed herself a small smile. Somehow, she doubted it.

* * *

School was a paradox. It seemed to drag on for eternity, but Catlyn couldn't say she did or learned much of anything during that time. Of course she was preoccupied with other facets of the school. She remembered her conversation with Robin when he lost his glasses and couldn't mask her goofy grin. It all came down to a simple choice, and he wanted her to know.

The final bell rang and the students practically exploded from the classroom. Catlyn would have been among them had she not realized a daunting task lay a head of her: How was she supposed to get to Mount Justice? It wasn't as if she could call a cab or a bus.

"Cat!" she heard, turning her head to locate Robin. She found him standing by a black motorcycle, waving her over. "You look lost," he noted, putting on his dark glasses.

She nodded a bit sheepishly and walked over, confused when he handed her a helmet and an ear piece.

"How else did you plan on getting home?" he asked, putting the ear piece in and his helmet on, motioning for her to do the same.

She followed Robin's lead and mounted the bike. "You're not going to go too fast are you?" she asked uncertainly, deciding it best not to answer Robin's question.

He didn't answer. Instead, he revved the engine before speeding out of the parking lot, his blazer flapping in the wind.

Catlyn squeaked in surprise and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, much like she had the night he brought her to Mount Justice. "You're such a jerk!"

Her insult didn't seem to phase him as he laughed and accelerated even more.

Robin finally decided to adhere to a posted speed limit just off the main highway and made conversation with Catlyn who was clinging tightly to him. "So Batman didn't tell you anything this morning?"

"No, he was very tight lipped on everything," she confessed. She was startled when she heard Robin chuckle. "What?"

"I told you he has his moments."

"Hysterical," she answered flatly, earning another small chuckle from Robin. She loosened her grip ever so slightly and lay her head against his back, watching the wilderness pass by until they reached the winding, narrow path that led up the side of Mount Justice. Catlyn tightened her grip again and closed her eyes. She was sure she would never get used to this either.

Batman met the pair at the entrance of the cave, giving Catlyn a serious case of Deja vu. "Suit up, both of you. I've got a covert mission."

Suit up? Catlyn's confusion was evident on her face.

"Gee Batman," Robin smirked, "you really didn't tell her anything did you?" He went to one of his saddle bags and tossed a bundle of black fabric to her.

She looked at it confused and unfolded it to reveal a black catsuit, complete with a hooded mask. "B.C." was scrawled across the chest in loopy gray lettering. "B.C.?" she questioned.

"Black Cat," Batman answered.

"Very nice," Robin grinned.

It's amazing how a small gesture can turn everything around. Batman and Robin couldn't give her back her old identity, but they had created a new one for her.

* * *

How was that for fluffy overload? The next two chapters will focus on the Drop Zone mission so stay tuned, and as always, please review before you favorite. If there is something that I'm doing that you think needs work, drop me a line and tell me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the ones that follow.


	5. Like Herding Cats

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I pretend to have any ownership of Young Justice or the DC Universe. I do however take full ownership of Catlyn... and that's about it.**

**I wanted to give a HUGE thank-you to ****mahlia, Wheatieluv, spottedfire123, and Megandary for reviewing and giving feedback! You guys make me happy, and the happier I am, the more I want to write more chapters!**

**I think I've blathered on long enough, so here you go guys!**

* * *

**Captivating Sympathy  
Chapter Five: Like Herding Cats**

The black latex catsuit molded to her contours, giving her a wide range of movement. It felt like nothing was there, a sensation she would just have to get accustomed to. Everything about the suit was seamless from the sleek boots, to her fingerless gloves with a metal dew claw at her wrist, to the hooded mask.

She secured her whip around the back of a black utility belt and caught her reflection out of the corner of her eye. She was transformed. Even her eyes, usually a vibrant green, radiated white light and seemed alien to her. The corners of her mouth curled upwards upon seeing the pointed cat ears which bent slightly forward, too big for the fabric to support.

Even her temperament had changed. Her excitement chased away the misgivings she was left with after her experience at school. She preformed aerials, cartwheels and flips down the hallway, collecting herself before joining the rest of her team with Batman and Red Tornado. As she walked her attention was drawn to the wall of holographic computer screens, the largest of which displayed the mapping of an island.

"Me-ow," Wally called out to Catlyn between mouthfuls of chips.

She flicked the toy mouse that caused him to scream like a girl in his direction, giving a satisfied smirk when it landed in his chip bag. Not even Wally's wondering eyes could diminish her excitement.

"Eh hem," Robin cleared his throat.

Catlyn stared at him confused until Batman's voice claimed her attention.

"Isla Santa Prisca," Batman began, signaling an end to the time goofing off was acceptable. "This island nation is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neo-steroid, a strength enhancing drug, sold under the street name, Venom."

The holographs changed. Smaller ones displaying graphs and pie charts were swallowed up, leaving only two large screens to share the space before the team. Detailed drawings of a factory as well as information depicting productivity were now the main focus.

"Infrared heat signatures indicate the factory is still operating at full capacity, but all shipments of Venom have been inexplicably cut off," Batman continued. "That's where this team comes in." He turned to face the grouping of teenagers. "This is a _covert, re-con _mission only," he emphasized. "Observe and report."

The screens reverted back to statistics and the map, the only difference being a large red 'A' and 'B' depicting set locations on the island.

"If the Justice League needs to intervene, it will," he said, turning to face the screens once again. "The plan will require two drops zones"

"So who's in charge?" Robin asked, a question that sucked the wind from Catlyn's sails.

Batman and Red Tornado turned to face the waiting teenagers and shared a look. "Work that out between you," he answered.

Catlyn crumpled a little bit more. Suddenly this mission was looking more and more like a pissing contest.

The team went to change into their super-suits with the exception the three that called Mount Justice their home.

"Just going to stay in your street clothes?" Catlyn asked, gaining a raised eyebrow from both Megan and Superboy. "Right, stupid question," she said with an embarrassed smile.

She could hear someone approaching and turned to see Batman striding over with purpose.

He explained the components of her suit and that she had different goodies contained in her utility belt. "There are three settings," he started, taking her hand and placing her fingers on a miniscule knob directly below the right cat ear on the hooded mask. "The default just makes images sharper and moving object easier to follow. Turn to the next setting," he instructed.

Catlyn complied and blinked several times, seeing nothing but blackness in front of her.

"Night vision," he clarified. "Turn it again,"

She did as she was told, still seeing nothing but black, although a different shade. She opened her mouth to tell him nothing had changed, when the blackness shifted and moved from view. Catlyn looked around the cave, trying to determine what this particular setting had done.

It took her a few seconds to realize that everything looked so much closer than she knew was possible. She had built in binoculars.

"Now this is cool," she muttered to herself, her gaze landing on the mouth of the hallway where Wally was standing with Robin.

Catlyn couldn't hear what they were saying, but with Robin puffing his chest out and Wally leaning over with his arms crossed and a cutting smirk on his lips, she didn't think she wanted to.

A heavy hand plopped down on her shoulder, making her jump and grasp at the appendage like she had with Wally her first night as part of the team.

"Woah, Catlyn. It's me," came Kaldur's hurried voice.

She released her grip on him quickly and dialed the knob back to the first setting. "Sorry," she apologized as she turned to face him, "but you really shouldn't sneak up on me."

"Even Wally knows better than to do that," Robin chuckled.

"Dude!" Wally remarked.

"We need to determine who is going on what drop," Kaldur interjected, breaking up a potential argument. "The first is just off the coast. I presume I'll be taking that one alone."

"Sure you don't want Cat to come with you?" Wally grinned.

Catlyn shook her head. "Not a big fan of water," she reminded him, as if he needed it.

"It's not a problem. In fact, it would be better to keep as much of the team together as possible," Kaldur said evenly, although it was evident he was losing his patience.

Wally grinned and rested his forearm on Catlyn's shoulder. "Your loss. More for me."

Robin came up beside Catlyn and shoved Wally a side. The phrase 'if looks could kill' came to mind.

"If we're all ready, why don't we head out," Megan suggested, knowing full well that this team was in trouble already. She led the way to the bioship and opened the hull.

Robin and Wally sat in the two seats on the lower level of the spacecraft while the others filed in behind.

The air was tense in the cabin, such a contrast to the first time they had all ridden together.

"We're approaching Santa Prisca," Megan announced, her voice breaking the still and somewhat uncomfortable silence. The monitor beeped and alerted her to their position. "Drop zone 'A' in thirty."

Kaldur stood up and his seat disintegrated. He touched his belt buckle and waited for its effect.

Catlyn watched as his usual attire turned a dark green in color.

"Ready," Kaldur replied.

"Putting bioship in camouflage mode," Megan said.

An opening in the bottom of the ship appeared long enough for Kaldur to dive through it and into the water below.

Everyone in the ship waited for confirmation from Kaldur before proceeding.

"Heat and motion sensors are patched. Data is now on a continuous loop," Kaldur reported. "Move in."

The ship coasted along slowly as not to attract any attention before hovering over a single point.

"Drop zone 'B'," Megan said standing up.

Everyone else followed suit and watched as Megan closed her eyes and manipulated the ceiling of the spacecraft into lines attached to hooks.

Robin, Wally and Cat attached the hooks to their belts.

Wally then touched the insignia on his chest. His suit changed color just as Kaldur's had. "How cool is this?" he grinned, taking a step back and gesturing to himself.

"Very impressive," Megan answered before closing her eyes and morphing her clothes into a black catsuit with a red X taking up most of her torso.

Catlyn grinned at her, impressed with her teasing.

"Uh, that works too," Wally answered with a dreamy look. "Hey Supey. Not to late to put on the new stealth tech."

Superboy stood tall with a deadpan expression. "No capes, no tights," he answered, crossing his arms. "No offense."

Megan looked over at Superboy and smiled softly, enamored. "Totally works for you," she said in an airy voice, snapping to attention when he looked over at her. "In that you can totally do good work in those clothes," she covered, giving him a thumbs up.

Superboy looked away, but not before Catlyn saw his lips form a straight line rather than the deep frown she had grown accustomed to.

Feeling as though she had made a fool out of herself, Megan donned hood of her cloak and became invisible.

She opened the bottom of the ship like she had for Kaldur and was the first to jump.

"Ladies first," Wally smiled, giving Catlyn a half bow.

She raised an eyebrow but jumped through the hole regardless, followed closely by Robin and Wally. They landed behind Megan, who had removed her camouflage, and unhooked the clasps.

Catlyn looked up and saw Superboy cutting through the air and heading right for the group. She felt strong arms wrap around her an pull her out of the way before she had time to move.

Their landing was far from graceful. Robin was crouched with his back against a tree, his arms wrapped around Catlyn, supporting her head and holding her tightly to his chest.

"Knew I didn't need a line," Superboy said from the crater he created, sounding pleased with himself.

"And yet, creating a _seismic event_, may not have helped us much with the covert," Robin glowered. His expression softened when he looked at the girl in his arms. "You alright?"

She looked up, ready to tell him he didn't have to do that, but the words caught in her throat when she noticed how close his face was to her's. She blushed and settled with a nod, "I'm okay. Thanks."

He released her from his grasp so they could both stand. "You'll return the favor later," he smirked.

They walked toward Superboy, reconvening with Wally, who had jumped the other direction, and Megan, who had flown upward.

"Aqualad, drop 'B' is a go," Megan reported, still hovering in the air while Robin fiddled with one of his gloves, pulling up a holographic screen.

"Head for the factory," Kaldur instructed. "I'll track your GPS and rendezvous with you ASAP."

"Roger that," Robin said before taking off down the path and into the jungle.

They raced across the landscape like living shadows, keeping in the cover of the trees whenever possible. The team followed a winding path up the side of a cliff, sticking close to Robin as he checked the holographic map every once in a while. He led them through the terrain affectively, avoiding traps set by the locals.

On the way down the mountainous path, Superboy paused. "Did you hear that?" he asked in a whisper just loud enough for the others to hear.

"Uh, no," Wally answered as if it were obvious. "Wait, is this a super hearing thing?"

"You do have great ears," Megan said with the same dreamy expression she got whenever she would talk about Superboy.

Catlyn turned just in time to see the hem of Robin's cap disappear into the trees. She followed him, climbing higher and higher, jumping from one branch to an other in order to not be detected.

Gunshots rang loud through the wilderness, surprising Catlyn to the point she nearly fell off her branch. In order to keep from hurtling to the ground below, she dug the metal dew claw from her gloves into the bark. She regained her balance and pressed on.

Wally's grunts floated up through the branches. "So much for the stealthy."

The gunshots resumed, now directed at a new target.

Catlyn dug around in her utility belt for a weapon Batman had stocked. Her fingers closed around something soft. She pulled it out and looked down in disbelief at what looked the be a a fuzzy mouse cat toy. Curses about times for Batman to 'have his moments' raced through her mind.

By this time, both of the original fighters had their attention on Wally and Superboy was coming in fast.

She threw down the cat toy in frustration before searching desperately for something she could use to help.

Superboy had engaged what looked to be the most muscularly developed man in combat, throwing him into a tree by the time he was finished.

"¿Qué es eso? (What is this?)" a man in a plain sweatshirt with a machine gun poised to attack asked. He waved over a couple of his cohorts and pointed down. They had stumbled upon the fuzzy mouse in the sand.

Catlyn nearly groaned in embarrassment. That is, until the mouse gave a high pitched squeak and detonated.

The force of the explosion caused one man to fly backwards, right into three figures in red hooded cloaks with their guns aimed at Wally while the others were sent into nearby trees.

Wally turned and saw Catlyn crouched on a branch, looking absolutely flabbergasted. He gave her a cheeky smile before dashing off.

Catlyn dropped from her branch just as Robin joined the fray.

He fell though the air, knocking one opponent out by practically landing on him. "What is wrong with you guys?" Robin asked, taking on his second target. "Remember, covert. Why didn't you follow my lead, vanish into the jungle?"

Wally answered him first while fighting a man whose gun he had discarded. "That's what you were doing?" He back-flipped, landing a solid kick to his foe's jaw. "Way too fill us in. We're not mind readers you know," he said just as Megan used telepathy to force two of the robed men into a large tree. "Er, I'm not anyway."

"You told me I could only read the bad guy's minds," Megan pointed out.

"Someone's getting away," Catlyn shouted, watching as a red robed man traversed the winding path.

Robin reached behind him for a weapon, but it wasn't needed.

Kaldur blocked the man's path and caught him by the front of his robes. His tattoos glowed and sent electrical shocks through the other's body. He let go and allowed the unconscious man to fall to the ground before crushing the adversary's gun in a powerful stomp.

"Dude, that was shocking," Wally grinned. "Get it?"

Catlyn sighed, shaking her head. She gave his shoulder a shove and pushed him into the trunk of a tree.

"What are we going to do with them?" Megan asked, gesturing to the men sprawled out on the ground, some of which were coming too.

"I've got that one covered," Catlyn grinned, pulling a ball of light weight, highly durable twine with a steel core from her utility belt. She made quick work of securing the fallen opponents to trees with the help of Superboy.

"I recognize those uniforms," Robin said upon closer inspection of the red hooded figures. "They belong to the Cult of Kobra."

"I'm certain Batman would've mentioned it if he knew that a dangerous, extremist group was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation," Kaldur replied in a hushed tone.

"Agreed," Robin concurred. "And since there's clearly no love lost between the Cult and those goons, I'm betting Kobra came in and tossed them out. That's why normal supply lines have been cut off," he said smugly.

"We get it, Kobra wanted Santa Prisca, mystery solved," Wally said, disappointed with the lack of action that came with the mission. "Radio Bats and we'll be home in time for-"

"These cultists aren't _on_ Venom," Robin interrupted, "Kobra's hoarding the stuff! We don't leave. Not until I know why."

"Until _you _know why?" Wally asked, leaning over Robin, much like Catlyn had seen him do in Mount Justice.

"This team needs a leader," Robin pointed out.

Catlyn closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. And let the pissing begin, she mused.

"And it's you?" Wally asked sarcastically, closing the gap between himself and Robin, towering over him. "Dude, you're a kid, who ducked out on us without a word."

The close proximity didn't seem to phase Robin who only chuckled at his friend's boldness. "And _you're_ mature? You blew our cover first chance you got," he said, a smirk evident in his voice.

"Don't you wanna lead?" Megan asked Superboy in a quiet voice.

Superboy shook his head and scoffed. "You?"

She raised both hands to chest level with her palms facing outward. "After the Mr. Twister fiasco?"

"You did alright," Superboy said with an actual smile.

She turned and blushed, coming face to face with Catlyn who gave her a silent thumbs up. "What about you Cat?" she asked.

Catlyn looked at her surprised. "I just found out that I have _bombs_ in my pocket" she said with a dismissive wave. "I'm good."

Out of the corner of her eye, Catlyn saw Superboy tense slightly, inclining his head in the direction of the secured men.

"Yeah? Well you don't even have superpowers," Wally disputed, walking away.

"Neither does Batman!" Robin argued, following after him.

"Chuh, you're not Batman," Wally practically spat.

"Chuh," Robin mocked, "closest thing we've got!"

A deep chuckle quelled the bickering. "Such clever little niños, but you only know half the story," a voice with a heavy Spanish accent said from the base of one of the trees. "Let me show you the rest," he offered as the rest of the team gathered before him, "get you into the factory via my secret entrance."

Megan had grown more confident in her place on the team and knelt down in front of the masked man who had spoken, trying to unearth the truth from his mind. "There is a secret entrance, but he's hiding something," she said. Her eyes began to glow as she focused harder on his mind.

"Ah ah ah chica," the masked man taunted. "Bane is not that easy to read."

Megan sighed, defeated, and he eyes lost their glow. "He's mentally reciting fútbol scores en español. This could take a while," she admitted.

"It's not complicated," Bane smirked. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

The team shared a look and Kaldur gave the nod to free Bane.

Catlyn quickly cut the ties binding him with her dew claw and retreated to the rest of the group. "I don't trust him," she whispered to Robin once they were on their way, "he's crafty."

He looked down and gave her a reassuring smile, taking her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "We'll be alright," he said before the group reached a cliff which provided a view of the factory below. He released Catlyn's hand and strode to the very edge, taking out his binoculars. "Look at all that product, he marveled. "A buy is going down. But, if Kobra isn't selling to the usual suspects, then-"

"We need to identify that buyer," Kaldur interrupted.

"Just what I was thinking," Wally said, standing up and sliding his goggles to his forehead.

"Yeah, you're the thinker," Robin teased.

"Sarcasm? Dude, a real leader would focus on getting the answers," Wally reprimanded, up in arms.

Bane took hold of a huge boulder, grunting as his lifted it and threw it aside to reveal a secret tunnel. He dusted off his hands and gestured into the newly divulged passageway. "Answers are this way."

The team stood on edge. Was it really a good idea to follow this criminal into the depths of the earth?

"So, now el luchadore is our leader," Wally said exasperated, standing in the mouth of the tunnel.

Robin passed him, and punched him in the shoulder as he became the first of the team to venture into the tunnel.

Megan looked at Catlyn who only shrugged and, against her better judgment, followed Bane and Robin down into the passage way. The only sound came from the traipsing of their feet on the mixture of rock and sand.

The progression halted when Bane stopped in front of a set of large metal doors. He pressed his thumb on a button and smiled back at the teenagers as a faint buzz and the distinct sound of locks coming undone resonated withing the tunnel.

Robin crouched in the doorway, looking out into what seemed to be a boiler room to ensure they would not be walking into an ambush. "All clear," he announced before darting past the partially opened door and out of sight.

The remainder of the team followed behind Bane at a slower pace.

"Has the little fool already been caught?" Bane asked in a whisper.

"No," Kaldur sighed exasperatedly, becoming frustrated. "He just does that."

"Stay put," Wally instructed, donning his goggles. "I'll get our intel and be back before the Boy Wonder."

"Wait, Kid," Kaldur called out in a whisper, but it came too late and Wally was off, the pissing contest as heated as ever.

"Great chain of command," Bane said sarcastically.

As much as Catlyn hated to admit it, she had to agree with him. This team was working about as well as an attempt to herd cats.

The remaining members of the "team" shared a look, not giving Bane the satisfaction of verbally admitting he was right. They continued to follow Bane, crouching behind a large wooden container and watched as red hooded figures operated forklifts.

"It's a massive shipment," Kaldur marveled.

"Yeah, but they're only taking new product off the line. They're not touching this Venom," Superboy observed.

"Maybe freshness counts?" Megan offered.

"Good guess, but I think it's something different," Catlyn said, thinking out loud. "Different," she repeated excitedly after a time, "that's it! They've changed it somehow."

"Helicopter's coming," Superboy said, inclining his head to the sky.

Conversation stopped as Kaldur, Megan and Catlyn strained their ears until the helicopter came close enough for them to hear. The three ducked behind the container completely as a couple of Kobra's armed guards come too close for comfort.

"We need to get to higher ground," Kaldur instructed, looking to Bane.

Bane looked straight up at a catwalk overhead a good fifty feet off the ground. "High enough for you?"

Kaldur didn't dignify Bane with a response. Instead he looked to Megan. "I need you to identify our mystery buyer when he steps out of the helicopter," he said before signaling to Catlyn and Superboy to follow Bane to the stairs leading up to the catwalk above.

Megan put on her hood and became invisible before flying over the armed guards and hovering over the helicopter pad.

Kaldur sat in silence with his eyes closed for some time before he opened them with a start. "Sportsmaster," he said simply and turned to Superboy. "He is the buyer? Aqualad to Red Tornado, do you read?" he asked, putting his index and middle fingers to his temple. He paused and closed his eyes before allowing himself a frustrated grunt. "Can't reach the League, Robin or Kid. Comm's jammed," he reported. "We need a plan, now."

"I have a suggestion," Bane smirked. He took a running start and dove over the railing, proving to be quite acrobatic despite his size. He knocked one armed assailant away with a powerful swing of his left arm and deflected the other foe's gun upward before a shot had been fired.

"What is he-" Kaldur began, only to be interrupted by a monstrous growl.

A beast, which appeared to have been human at one point or another, came crashing through the glass of the factory's upper most window.

* * *

**I'm sorry that it's a cliff hanger, but I will more than likely have the next chapter out tomorrow afternoon or perhaps even late morning so please don't hate me.**

**The title is actually a phrase my high school English teacher would use when we were being particularly unruly. I thought it fit rather nicely. **


	6. A Cat Can Look Upon Kings

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I pretend to have any ownership of Young Justice or the DC Universe. I do however take full ownership of Catlyn.**

**I know that I promised this chapter would be up a few days ago, but life happened. I hope this was worth the wait and I haven't disappointed you completely.**

**I am so happy with the reviews I have been getting! Thank you all so much. You have no idea how rewarding it is so see that there are people out there that really seem to like my story and Catlyn herself. So thank you mahlia, Wheatieluv, spottedfire123, Numbah 175, Algie888, Shadow-Chan 4, and dreamin'BIG.**

******Just wanted to say Happy Valentine's Day to all the readers! The chapter is my present to you. I hope you enjoy!**  


**Again, I have blathered on for too long, so here is the long awaited chapter six:**

* * *

**Captivating Sympathy**  
**Chapter Six: A Cat Can Look Upon Kings**

Recap:

"I have a suggestion," Bane smirked. He took a running start and dove over the railing, proving to be quite acrobatic despite his size. He knocked one armed assailant away with a powerful swing of his left arm and deflected the other foe's gun upward before a shot had been fired.

"What is he-" Kaldur began, only to be interrupted by a monstrous growl.

A beast, which appeared to have been human at one point or another, came crashing through the glass of the factory's upper most window.

* * *

Catlyn knew the catwalk would never be able to hold their combined weight, especially with the force this creature was going to land with. She did a back handspring and used the intruder as a launching pad to project herself up into the rafters.

The creature let out another bone chilling roar and the command was given to destroy the intruders.

Guards rushed in, guns blazing and advanced on Bane, Kaldur and Superboy.

Superboy rushed to combat the monstrous beast while Kaldur generated a shield from one of the water conductors on his back. With the other conductor, he poked it through the shield and fired globules of water with enough force to knock to approaching gunmen back.

Catlyn reached into her utility belt and brought out another fuzzy mouse bomb. She noticed a time delay setting and turned the dial, giving only five seconds before the detonation would occur. Not wanting to waste a precious second, she threw the bomb down into the fray and gave a satisfied smile when it squeaked and forced guards into support beams and walls.

When the smoke cleared, she saw Bane glance at the battle he had started before slipping away behind one of the many massive boilers.

Catlyn had enough faith in the team to know that, while Superboy and Kaldur might have their hands full, they could handle themselves in this situation. Her curiosity pulled her through the layers of crisscrossing metal, hot on Bane's trail. She hung low in the rafters, keeping to the shadows. Her movements were precise, nothing could be left to chance.

Sounds from the battle below gave her pause. She cast a glance behind her and saw a small distortion of images. She allowed herself a brief smile, knowing that Megan had thrown her hat into the arena. Realizing she would lose her intended target if she permitted herself to dawdle for too long, she pressed on. She was tempted to look again when an explosion sounded too close for comfort.

Robin made his appearance on a second catwalk and looked into the rafters as Wally skid to a stop beside him. He strained his eyes and was able to make out a lithe figure contorting its frame as it moved silently through the metal framework.

Catlyn had the distinct feeling that someone was watching her and whipped her head around, searching until her gaze locked with Robin's. She put a finger to her lips and jerked her head back, insisting he help the others with the armed guards who came wave after wave.

Bane led her back to the tunnel from which they had emerged, looking back every so often as if he knew he was being perused.

Catlyn snapped her whip around the lowest bar on the last rafter. She lowered herself down onto top of one of the massive boilers and paused, making sure the subtle crack of her whip had not drawn any attention to herself.

Once satisfied that her actions had gone unnoticed, she pursued Bane into the tunnel.

The rocky terrain proved to be a challenge in keeping her surefootedness. Every so often, there was a dislodged pebble or a slick spot where water had dribbled down from the surface that threatened to trip her up. With so many discontinuities in the land scape, her pace was compromised while Bane was able to stride down the passage uninhibited.

She followed the sound of his footsteps, growing more and more faint as his long legs swallowed the remaining distance to the mouth of the tunnel.

'Everyone online?' Megan's voice rang loud and clear withing Catlyn's mind.

She jumped slightly at the sudden voice within her head and crouched down low against one of the support beams.

'Yeah,' she head Superboy answer exasperatedly, clearly not pleased.

'You know it beautiful,' Wally swooned.

Catlyn could practically sense the suggestive grin on his face.

'Good, we need to regroup,' Kaldur directed through his thoughts.

'Busy now,' came Robin's reply.

'Where are you Cat?' Megan pondered.

'Following Bane,' she thought back, 'he's up to something. Be wary.'

With Robin's mind as a portal of sorts to another location, Catlyn could hear the scuffle occurring on the helicopter pad outside the factory.

'Robin, now!' Kaldur's commanding voice reverberated around Catlyn's mind.

She allowed herself a small grin upon hearing Robin snarl.

The mouth of the tunnel loomed in the distance, but Bane was no where to be seen.

Darkness pressed in around her and the smallest breeze which ruffled the tops of the multitude of trees seemed deafening in the eery silence.

Her fingers fiddled with the knob on her mask, turning it by one setting.

Almost at once, the world around her shown green and objects began taking shape. In the distance, Bane gathered up what looked to be a discarded duffel-bag.

Catlyn slinked up behind him and into a tree, thankful for the wind which rattled the leaves, making her movements less apparent. She heard him chuckle and narrowed her eyes, craning her neck for a chance to see what had put Bane in such high spirits, but could not see over the boulder of a man.

He stood up and slung the bag over his shoulder. When he was only inches from the tree, Catlyn swung down on her whip and connected a powerful kick to his jaw.

She landed and faced him, calling her whip back to her with a simple flick of her wrist.

Due to the surprise of such an attack, Bane stumbled backwards, but regained his composure rather quickly.

Catlyn took a running start into a back handspring and cut through the air, but Bane was waiting for her with open arms.

He caught her within his grasp and, like a javelin, threw her head first, aiming at a large oak at the edge of the small clearing. A snarl emanated from his throat as Catlyn twisted in mid air, her feet making contact with the trunk before she landed in a crouch.

"Don't you know cats always land on their feet?" she taunted.

They both advanced, Bane with his fists raised and Catlyn with her whip held tightly in her grasp.

She dodged a massive fist and snapped the whip around his colossal neck. She smirked, underestimating the effects Venom had on the human body.

Bane strained his neck and, much to Catlyn's horror, the whip burst at several of the joints and fell useless to the ground below. He leered at his tiny opponent and progressed toward her.

She stood rooted with shock for a time, mourning the loss of her weapon of choice. Recovery came swiftly and within seconds, she was in the process of scampering up one of the many surrounding trees.

The time spent without action proved costly.

Bane took hold of her left leg and ripped her from the trunk. He kept his stringent hold on her and slammed her into the ground, insuring she landed forcefully on her back. "What was that about landing on your feet gatita?" he asked with a cruel laugh.

Catlyn gasped while tears pricked her eyes behind her mask. Her lungs remained painfully empty, the breath knocked right out of her.

He laughed again and raised his foot, aiming a kick at his wounded prey.

She rolled out of his reach, her breath now coming in slow, painful spurts. Her mind was blank, her body moved by instinct. She was now in survival mode.

Bane threw punches and jabs, each time missing his intended target by a hair's breadth.

Back flips, aerials and the occasional back handspring allowed her to remain just out of her foe's striking distance. She wouldn't be able to stay on the defensive forever, and she soon ran out of ground. Her heel felt the edge of the cliff behind her and, without hesitation, she rolled between Bane's legs.

He reached back and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and held her face close to his. "Your friends will join you soon. When you see them, tell them they shouldn't send the runt out alone," he smirked.

Catlyn narrowed her eyes and spat in her captor's face, the only offensive move that was presented to her.

It succeeded in wiping the smug smirk right off his face and replaced it with a dangerous scowl.

Bane roughly swabbed his face with the back of his hand and dropped her off the side of the cliff.

The dew claws once again aided Catlyn as they dug further and further into the hard earth on the side of the mountainous cliff side as she slid down onto a very thin ledge. She flattened herself against the wall of dirt before her, blending in with her surroundings.

"Adios chica," Bane laughed, kicking a couple loose pebbles and patches of of dirt which rained down on top of her.

She listened to the crunch of the earth as Bane retreated back towards the mouth of the tunnel. A small sigh escaped through slightly parted lips before she began her slow ascent back up to the top. Her hands located notches and inconsistencies in the surface of the rock laden earthen wall.

By the time Catlyn had her feet back on solid ground, Bane had completed his work with the duffel-bag and stepped back to assess his handy work. She allowed no time for hesitation and pounced on his back, taking a subtle pleasure in the shallow gash her dew claw left in his neck upon her landing.

Bane let out a deep throaty growl of surprise. Reaching behind him, he grabbed his assaulter in the hand not occupied by a detonation device. He brought her around to his front and regarded her with a look of utter disbelief.

Despite being held once again in his grasp, Catlyn couldn't resist revealing a pompous smirk. "What's wrong Bane? Haven't you heard? Cats have nine lives."

He narrowed his eyes and wrapped her in one of his arms, applying a tremendous amount of pressure by compressing his massive bicep.

She tried to wiggle free, but it proved useless, his grip had already become to tight for any movement. She could feel her joints popping under the pressure and she groaned in pain. In response to his smug sneer, Catlyn glared as ferociously as she could before sinking her teeth into his shoulder.

Bane snarled and ripped her from his shoulder before throwing her into the mouth of the tunnel as the others made their appearance.

She spit out a mouthful of blood onto the floor of the tunnel before turning to Bane. "I haven't had my shots yet," she hissed from her position on the ground.

"Halt niños," Bane commanded, wiping away a small trickle of blood from the bite makes Catlyn left behind. "I'm feeling, explosive." He hit a sensor on the detonator and bombs lining the mouth of the passage became responsive to the remote trigger.

Robin stooped down to Catlyn's level, taking in the sight of Bane's smeared blood around her mouth.

"You betrayed us," Kaldur said astonished. "Why?"

"I want my factory back," Bane answered as if it were obvious. Using the team was just a means to an end.

Catlyn turned her head and spit out what remained of Bane's blood, roughly wiping away any remnants with the back if her gloved hand.

'Kid, you'll need a running start,' she heard Kaldur direct via Megan's telepathy.

Wally nodded and readied himself as Bane did what any villain would do in such a situation, monologue.

"So," he continued, "I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemies or die trying. If the latter, the Justice League would certainly have come to avenge their sidekicks," he smirked. "And when the smoke cleared, Santa Prisca would be mine once more. Blowing the tunnel with you inside," Bane said, beginning his wrap up.

Wally blazed past the others, swiping the detonator from Bane's hand mid sentence.

"Should have the same effect," He finally concluded, moving his thumb to push down on the plunger of the detonator he still believed to be contained in his hand. When he didn't feel anything, he opened his hand and stared dumbstruck when he discovered nothing there.

"With what?"Wally taunted from behind him. He leaned on the trunk of a tree with his arms crossed, looking quite content. "This trigger thingy?" he asked, holding up the detonator.

Bane yelled out in frustration and aimed a punch right at Wally's head. His fist stopped short however when Megan used her telekinesis to mentally jerk him back and suspend him in the air.

Catlyn watched with a satisfied smirk as Bane could do nothing but dangle and come to the realization that all his strength amounted to nothing now that he was within Megan's grasp.

A hand was presented to her, and by this time, she didn't need to look up to realize it was Robin.

She accepted the help, still feeling the affects of Bane's near bone crushing grip, and walked out of the mouth of the tunnel with the rest of her team.

"Finally!" Superboy said as he got into position beneath him, evidently having waited for this for a while. "Drop him," he commanded Megan.

With a small smile, Megan willingly complied and released Bane from her telekinetic hold.

Bane plummeted through the air and Superboy reeled back before punching him with enough force to send him sprawling into unconsciousness.

Catlyn took a few shaky steps towards Bane and readied her ball of twine. She wrapped him up tightly before securing him to the trunk of a large tree, making sure he had a clear view of the factory.

Kaldur came up behind her, the several pieces of her whip in his hands. "It seems we have missed quite the battle," he said, presenting her with the now useless strips of leather.

She gripped them tightly within her hand but could only bring herself to nod, still mourning the loss of such an outstanding and versatile weapon.

Robin leaned over to Megan and whispered something in her ear. He smiled and glanced over at Catlyn when he received an affirmative nod from the Martian.

"We must be on our way," Kaldur said, collecting the group as well as the remnants of the deceased weapon. "Kid, you take Black Cat and lead the way. We are going to stop that shipment."

Wally grinned and adjusted his goggles before facing Catlyn and sending a smirk over her shoulder. "Ready beautiful?" he asked with a wink before slinging her onto his back. He took off down the cliff, choosing the route with the most mild decline.

Catlyn, rather than wrapping her arms around his neck, gripped tightly onto both his shoulders and kept her head low to minimize the sting of the wind as they quickly closed the approached the main entrance of the factory.

Wally mowed down several guards before the sound of guns emptying their ammunition into the night destroyed the relative quiet.

His passenger reached into her utility belt and retrieved a small plastic lattice ball containing a miniscule metal ball. She tossed it into the direction of a grouping of armed guards, firing from a distance.

The ball rolled until it quivered on it's end. The metal ball split open and a green cloud of fog rose from the lattice work and into the air.

Sounds of bullets leaving the barrels of guns were replaced by choking and gasping as cult members fell limp to the ground.

Superboy landed, nearly crushing those in his wake and made eye contact with the monstrous beast that stood by Kobra's side. "Go again?" he asked with a smirk.

The creature roared and charged towards Superboy only to be blasted by a powerful jet of water from Kaldur.

"Sorry, not the plan," Superboy said, turning to the water-wielding teen.

'Aim at the exposed muscle,' Catlyn offered, reaching for another smoke bomb as she dismounted Wally.

Kaldur focused the stream as instructed and succeeded in driving the creature back a little faster.

More gunshots rang out on the helicopter pad followed by a grunt from Superboy

Catlyn and Wally continued incapacitating the guards, making sure the others were met with as little resistance as possible. Wally, of course, had to take something tangible from this mission. He found just the thing when he knocked into a cultist so hard that his black mask flew off.

"Souvenir," he called out, practically giddy.

Superboy allowed himself to be continuously shot at as to provide a distraction so that Megan could infiltrate the hull of the helicopter and position the bombs Bane had activated throughout.

Megan, in her camouflaged mode, flew at Sportsmaster from behind.

Somehow, he could sense her and jumped into the air, kicking her out of her flight pattern.

Megan landed on the ground with a grunt, now fully visible, and was collected in Sportsmaster's arms while he continued to fire at Superboy.

Robin made his grand appearance into the fray and ensnared Shimmer, Kobra's second in command, with a strand of nylon rope with weights on the end. "I know you hate getting your hands dirty," he smirked.

"True," Kobra replied, removing his hooded cloak, "but sometimes, even a god must stoop to conquer."

Robin rushed the leader of the cultist organization and leaped into the air, intending to knee him in the jaw.

Kobra caught his knee and stopped him as if it were nothing. He lifted his foot to avoid a low sweeping kick from Robin and caught him by the ankle without so much as a change in expression when Robin aimed a kick to the side of his head. He kicked out instead, landing it on his right side.

Robin landed on his feet, but slid backwards, putting his hand to the ground in an attempt to steady himself.

"What's wrong boy?" Kobra asked in his monotone voice, "You look disconcerted."

Kaldur, still keeping the beast at bay, sent an electrical charge surging though the water.

The creature roared only for a few seconds before smoking and coming to rest on the ground.

"Thanks for the workout," Sportsmaster sneered, backing into the loading dock of the helicopter, "but I gotta fly." He released Megan, throwing her right into Superboy, and closed the hatch.

She looked to Superboy and gave a sly smile, producing the detonator and pushing the plunger down once the helicopter was a safe enough distance way.

The helicopter combusted and traversed the air in a downward spiral until finally barreling into the factory, causing it to explode.

Catlyn could only imagine the look on Bane's face as he was made to watch his precious factory go up in flames.

A grunt from Robin called everyone's attention as he was still trying to bring down Kobra.

"I am plagued by mosquitoes," Kobra announced, anger very apparent in his tone. His foot was planted square on Robin's chest, effectively pinning him to the soil below.

"Good," Robin grunted, "'cause this mosquito's mighty concerted over your pain." He spun out from beneath Kobra's foot and rolled into a backwards handspring, landing right in front of the rest of the team, all of which were glaring pointedly at Kobra.

"Another time then," Kobra conceded, backing away into the lush greenery of the jungle.

Robin followed his path to the outskirts of the clearing and parted some low growing foliage only to discover he had vanished from sight. He returned to the group smiling, something which struck Catlyn as odd since he had been to intense during this mission. "We picked the right guy to lead," he said, walking up to Kaldur.

Catlyn smiled glad to see that a leader had been chosen without leaving bitterness in the wake of the decision.

"Automatically making you the right guy to explain this mess to Batman," he concluded with a wide gesture to the blazing factory before wrapping his arms around his stomach and laughing.

"Good luck," Catlyn wished as the team waited for Megan to call the spacecraft which would bring them back to Mount Justice.

The ride back to the team's headquarters was nearly silent. They were pleased that the mission had largely been a success, but the thought of what Batman would do considering they disobeyed him weighed heavily on everyone's minds.

It was late, or early by definition, by the time the ship landed on the platform and Batman was no where to be found.

Goodbyes were exchanged quickly and Megan, Superboy and Catlyn all ventured to the rear of the cave to their bedrooms to await the lecture that was surely on its way.

As anticipated, Batman called the team into the room where they first received their assignment the following afternoon.

"A simple recon mission," he started once all the members of the team had assembled. "Observe and report," he said, getting in in Kaldur's face.

Kaldur in return only looked down as if ashamed.

"You'll each receive a written evaluation detailing your many mistakes," Batman said, walking down the line of teenagers. "Until then, good job."

Had they heard right? Everyone looked to Batman surprised.

"No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success, and how you chose who leads determines character," he concluded, leaving he young team to ponder that.

Kaldur and Robin smirked at one another.

The team then dispersed with the exception of Megan and Robin who converged on Catlyn.

She looked up at them confused, mostly because Megan seemed to be hiding something behind her back.

"We felt really bad about what happened to your whip," Megan began.

Catlyn gave a sad smile but shrugged. There was nothing left to do but move on and try and find a replacement as far as she was concerned.

"So we gathered up all the pieces," Robin continued with a smile.

"You really didn't have to do that," Catlyn said, still regarding them with a look of confusion.

"Well, it was organic so I was able to fuse it back together," Megan finished, pulling the whip out from behind her back and presenting it to her.

Catlyn's jaw nearly dropped to the floor as she gazed at her two closest friends in disbelief and took the whip with shaking hands. She stood up and wrapped Megan in a hug, thanking her profusely.

Megan giggled and hugged back. "It was Robin's idea," she admitted when the two parted before she walked off to find Superboy.

Catlyn looked over at Robin who was standing with his hands in his pockets and smiling warmly. She blushed softly as she walked over to him and slowly wrapped her arms around his torso, laying her head on his chest.

He pulled his hands from his pockets and embraced her in return, resting his cheek against her head.

"You're the best," she said quietly, smiling when she felt him give her one last squeeze before they both stepped back from one another.

A faint tint of pink colored his cheeks. "It was nothing," he answered. "Really."

She grinned faintly and shook her head. It was the only semblance of her past she had, and his preservation of it meant everything.

* * *

So there you have it. A little fluffy moment at the end since there really wasn't much opportunity for it during the actual mission.

I can't believe that this story has had over 1000 hits! That is absolutely mind boggling! Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing, and if you haven't, shamity shame shame.


	7. Don't Have A Kitten

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I pretend to have any ownership of Young Justice or the DC Universe. I do however take full ownership of Catlyn.**

**I'm trying to get caught up with the story line as fast as I can while not cutting back on the quality of the chapters. I might, and this is a pretty big might, have this plot line caught up with the show's by the the middle of next week. This chapter itself was a pain simply because my computer didn't think I would need internet for the better part of an entire day. I am so sorry for keeping you guys waiting! I hope you enjoy it.**

**Again, thank you to: ****SASA, ****dreamin'BIG, Wheatieluv**, **spottedfire123**, **mahlia**, **algie888**, **squirrel146**4, **xKROWEx**, **LittleFireQueen, and Scarlett Wolf**** for reviewing! You keep me going!**

* * *

**Captivating Sympathy**  
**Chapter Seven: Don't Have A Kitten**

Catlyn and Robin sat quietly on the living room floor already in costume, Catlyn without her hood. They used the low lying table to spread out numerous papers and the occasional textbook for references. The only noise emanating from the pair was the scratching of pencils and Catlyn's occasional soft groan of frustration before she wore down yet another eraser.

Robin glanced across at the paper she was currently working on and smirked. "What are you doing?"

Her hand was whizzing across the paper, her fingers tightly squeezing what was once a rather large eraser. She looked up at Robin, mid scowl. "Starting over, again," she answered.

He gave a short chuckle. "I see that. What are you supposed to be doing?" he tried again.

Catlyn sat back and held her knees to her chest, narrowing her eyes at the vexing assignment on the table before her. "For anatomy I have to draw and label the inner workings of the human body," she explained.

Robin nodded in understanding before cocking his head to the side as he examined the paper, an even bigger smirk gracing his lips. "So, why does his lung have a tumor?" he asked, pointing.

"His lung has a-" She looked over her drawing to the spot indicated. "That's his heart, jerk," she said to a now laughing Robin. She shoved him playfully and went back to her homework, a small smile replacing her previous grimace.

"Recognized, Kid Flash. B zero three," the computerized female voice announced moments before Wally walked into the living room.

He too had already donned his superhero garb and went straight to the fridge. He glanced at the space between the refrigerator and the cabinet, like he had done every time before opening the door since the mouse incident. He grabbed the chocolate bar he had stashed the day before and sauntered into the living room, munching contently. "Hey Cat," Wally called out once he had finished his snack. "Beat you at air-hockey?" he challenged.

She looked up and accepted his challenge, letting her pencil clatter to the table. Her diagram was nearly completed, although all the internal organs resembled amorphous blobs more than anything else. She followed Wally to the debriefing room along with Robin who cued up the holographic table and two blue paddles.

"I won't go easy on you," Wally warned before casting a smirk over at Robin before looking back to Catlyn. "Unless, you want me to be gentle," he added in a suggestive tone.

Robin punched Wally hard in the shoulder as Catlyn stared in wide eyed disbelief. "Just play the puck," he grumbled, walking around to stand along the side of the holographic table.

Wally chuckled and rotated the shoulder that had been assaulted, congratulating himself on how easily he had been able to get under Robin's skin as of late. He grinned at Catlyn who was now losing her deer-in-the-headlights expression and was now watching the puck intently. Using only two fingers to control the paddle, he circled the holographic puck once and sent it whizzing into the opening on Catlyn's side with a subtle flick of his wrist. The table buzzed, signaling the goal. An impish grin spread across his lips and he spun the paddle under his index finger. "That's one for me."

Catlyn shared a glance with Robin before retrieving the puck. So much for a fair game, but she knew she couldn't hold Wally's abilities against him. She set the puck down on the holographic table and, with her paddle beneath her fingertips, she snapped her wrist much like Wally had. She watched the disk slide along the surface and collide with his paddle. Her eyes tried to follow the disk Wally had returned, but her movements were too slow to stop the renegade puck that was once again sent into Catlyn's goal.

"Two for me," Wally reported, his cocky grin growing wider.

She nodded, retrieving the disk once again. As she placed it back on the table the realization sunk in that she had been reduced to straight defense. She lightly nudged the disk and quickly pulled her paddle back to act as a guard. The only movements she would make were subtle shifts to better protect the gaping hole the puck tried time and time again to infiltrate.

And so it went for several minutes: Catlyn steadfast in guarding her goal and Wally whipping the holographic disk back in her direction whenever it came within his range.

Wally began to taunt her, aiming the puck at the corners of the table rather than her goal, daring her to try and intercept it.

Catlyn was getting frustrated and tossed her paddle onto the middle of the table. "Why am I even here if you're just going to play with yourself?" she grumbled before what she said had time to register. Her eyes went wide and she clasped both hands over her mouth as her face turned a deep shade of red.

There was a momentary silence before Robin and Wally alike burst out laughing. Both were doubled over with their arms wrapped tightly around their torsos as their shoulders shook almost violently.

"That's not what I meant," she reasoned in a very small muffled voice.

Robin's legs gave out and he sank to his knees. He tried several times to calm himself and his laughter finally subsided with the exception of a few sporadic chuckles. He and Wally wiped the tears from their eyes and straightened back up to their full heights.

"I didn't think it was that funny," Catlyn admitted when both boys had sobered, her blush having receded somewhat.

"It was just that it came from _you_," Wally grinned, still giddy from the endorphins released.

"You looked like you had said something awful," Robin chuckled. "It was cute."

Catlyn felt her cheeks heat up and her eyes scanned his face in an attempt to discern his meaning.

"Dawww, how sweet," Wally smirked, pinching one of Robin's cheeks.

Robin pushed him off. "Go eat," he grumbled after hearing Wally's stomach gurgle loudly. He felt his cheeks redden ever so slightly, having nothing to do with the pinch they'd received earlier.

Wally chuckled and retrieved a banana from the bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter, not wanting to stray too far from what could possibly develop between the two rosy cheeked teens.

"Recognized, Aqualad. B zero two," the computerized female voice of the security scanner announced.

"Can't we just get a doorbell and a peephole?" Catlyn asked. Those that did not call Mount Justice their home seemed to stick to a relatively predictable schedule concerning their comings and goings. She had gotten to the point that she would be able to announce the visitor herself after a quick glance to a clock.

Robin grinned and shook his head, the tension from earlier seeming to have passed.

"Hey Kal," Wally shouted from the kitchen once Kaldur had come within his range of sight. He pointed at him with the banana, "Beat you at air-hockey?"

* * *

As it was with Catlyn, the game was very much one sided as Wally scored time and time again, only this time there was a larger audience as Megan had joined in spectating. Kaldur had a look of surprise on his face every time the holographic disk penetrated his defenses.

Wally, pleased with his second victory of the day, peeled a section of his banana and took a bite, looking to the teleporters when the voice of the security system cut through the air.

"Recognized, Superboy. B zero four," the computerized voice announced.

Superboy looked moodier than usual, something that struck Catlyn as odd since he normally worked out his angst and frustrations. This time it seemed he had brought more back with him. His fists were clenched at his sides and he walked toward the group without really seeing them. He strode right through the holographic air-hockey table, effectively ending any notion of another round.

"Hi Superboy," Megan greeted, cheery as ever. "How was Metropolis?" Her face fell when he didn't answer, but two figures Catlyn had never seen before called her attention.

"Ready for training everyone?" a blonde woman who looked to be in her late twenties asked, striding in with a large green man with piercing red eyes who was more than likely in his forties.

"Black Canary. Uncle J'honn," Megan cried out in recognition, running up to hug the stoic looking green skinned man while the rest of the team stood where they had been when Superboy entered. The embrace only lasted for a second, but it seemed to be enough as she beamed up at him.

"M'gann," he smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd see how you were adjusting."

Catlyn glanced over at Superboy, standing apart from the group with a deeper scowl than she had ever seen previously.

"A few bumps," Megan admitted, "but I'm learning."

Megan's uncle chuckled. "That's all I can ask."

The touching family moment proved to be too much for Superboy to cope with and he turned to leave.

"Stick around," the woman, now known to be Black Canary, called after Superboy's retreating back. "Class is in session." She walked to the center of the circle and it illuminated beneath her, lighting in a ripple effect from the center outward. "I consider it an honor to be your teacher," she began, turning to face the majority of the team. "I'll throw a lot at you, everything I've learned from my own mentors," she said as she gripped the front of her jacket and removed it, revealing bare shoulders above her strapless black leotard. "And my own bruises," she winced, the hand not clutching her jacket wrapping around her bandaged arm.

"What happened?" Megan asked, legitimately concerned.

Catlyn was curious herself, she thought the wound looked rather fresh.

"The job," Black Canary answered simply, throwing her jacket onto the ground.

Well that was specific and helpful. Catlyn resisted the urge to sigh.

"Now, combat is about controlling conflict. Putting the battle on your terms. You should always be acting, never reacting," she continued.

Catlyn smiled, her impression of the woman standing in front of her had changed drastically.

"I'll need a sparring partner. I've never seen you before," she said, indicating Catlyn. "What can you do?"

She smiled nervously and walked to meet Black Canary in the center of the illuminated ring, detaching her whip on the way. She cracked it once, hoping to come off as somewhat menacing.

"You can discipline me anytime," Wally yelled from the sidelines before chuckling, having succeeded in dodging a hit from Robin.

Black Canary took advantage of the awkward moment and advanced, beginning with a standard right jab.

Catlyn let out a surprised grunt and had just enough time to dodge as Black Canary kicked out at her. She jumped back to avoid the approaching limb and ensnared it within her whip. Before she could tug the whip taunt, Black Canary kicked the same leg backwards, pulling Catlyn toward her. She dove into a forward roll, sliding between Canary's legs which were shoulder width apart in her fighting stance.

Without the constant pressure from Catlyn, the whip only hung loosely around Canary's ankle, making it a simple enough task to free her once ensnared extremity. She turned to face Catlyn, ducking just in time to avoid what would have otherwise been a solid right straight to her jaw.

Catlyn fell into a low sweeping kick which Canary avoided by leaping over the extended leg. She performed a back handspring to create some distance, but misjudged her landing. Too much of her weight rested on her heels and she fell backwards, landing in a seated position. On the floor, directly beneath her, was a spinning circle with a display of "Black Cat. Status: Fail."

Black Canary walked towards her with her arms crossed. "You need more practice," she announced before lowering her uninjured arm to help the fallen teen "But you could have done worse," she said with a smile. "Anyone else?" she asked once Catlyn had rejoined the group.

"Right here, yeah," Wally volunteered, raising his hand.

Black Canary nodded and returned to the center of the fighting arena.

Wally walked forward and finished what remained of his banana. "After this," he began, throwing the peel into the garbage can on the outskirts of the ring. "Swish. I'll show you my moves," he finished suggestively.

Canary looked less than impressed and, like she had done with Catlyn, wasted no time in attacking. She started out with the same right jab.

Wally bent his arm at the elbow in an affective block, only to be knocked onto his back by a low sweeping kick.

No one expected the match to be ended so abruptly and winced as Wally went down hard.

"Oh, that hurt so good," Wally croaked from his position on the ground. The spinning circle beneath his back indicating his failure.

"Good block," Canary commented as Wally moved into a seated position. "But did anyone see what he did wrong?" she asked, helping him to his feet.

"Ooh, he hit on teacher and got served?" Robin offered with a smirk.

"Dude!" Wally called out, holding his arm.

"He allowed me to dictate the terms of-" she began, only to be interrupted by Superboy.

"Oh please," he said, as if the implication was laughable. "With my powers, the battle is always on my terms," he said, gesturing to himself with his thumb. "I'm a living weapon. This is a waste of my time," he declared.

Canary smirked. "Prove it," she challenged.

Superboy walked into the ring with his arms crossed and faced her as Wally wised up and retreated to stand with the others. They readied themselves in a fighting stance, staring each other down for a time before Superboy made the first offensive move, a quick right uppercut that Canary caught at his wrist and elbow. She used his momentum against him and flipped him. He landed a good ten feet away, flat on his back.

Robin pointed and laughed outright, only covering his mouth after Kaldur had nudged him with his elbow and given him a pointed stare.

Megan watched Superboy, worry etched into her features.

Her distress was for naught. Superboy didn't stay down for long. He rolled over and pushed himself up, glaring at Black Canary, his teeth bared.

"You're angry. Good, but don't react. Channel that anger into-" she instructed, only to be interrupted by an angry grunt from Superboy who was racing towards her, his fist raised. She flipped over him and crouched down into a sweeping kick when she landed, knocking Superboy onto his backside once again.

Reactions from Superboy's latest take-down were varied. Megan winced, as if she thought the fall would have hurt him. Wally closed his eyes like it pained him to watch. Kaldur wore a look of pity as he looked at his fallen comrade. Catlyn had been watching the match objectively and marveled at Canary's quick and graceful movements. Robin once again dissolved into chuckles, this time muffling the sound from the beginning.

"That's it," Superboy grumbled, ignoring Canary's helping hand and pushing himself onto his feet. "I'm done."

The lighting on the floor dimmed.

"Training is mandatory," Black Canary said, placing a hand on his shoulder which Superboy roughly shoved off before turning to face her, meeting her glare for glare.

A holographic screen beeped before materializing, showing a large image of Batman. "Batman to the cave," he called out, affectively gathering the entirety of the team in front of the screen. "Five hours ago, a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary," he started. A smaller screen appeared in the upper right corner, depicting a menacing looking android. "The attacker was capable of studying, then duplicating the powers and abilities of its opponents," Batman continued as the screen showed footage of the machine at work. "Arrow called in reinforcements, which nearly proved disastrous as our foe gained more and more power with each new combatant."

"Whoa," Wally marveled. "One guy with the powers of the entire League?"

"In the end, it took eight Leagers four hours to defeat and dismantle the android," Batman said, concluding the background information.

"Android?" Robin questioned, stepping forward. "Who made it? T.O. Morrow?"

"Good guess Robin," Batman replied, "but Red Tornado doesn't think so."

"The technology bares the signature of Professor Ivo," Megan's uncle pointed out.

"Ivo? But Ivo's dead," Kaldur reasoned.

Black Canary cast a glance over her shoulder at Kaldur. "So we all thought, or hoped," she replied.

T.O. Morrow? Professor Ivo? People supposedly coming back from the dead? Catlyn pondered when any of this would start making sense.

"To make certain that this threat is permanently neutralized," Batman began once more as another screen appeared with a map with two different paths, "we're sending two trucks carrying the android's parts to two separate Starlab facilities in Boston and New York for immediate evaluation. Every precaution is being taken," he continued as the paths the trucks were scheduled to take began moving dash by dash. "We'll have four additional decoy trucks to create confusion in case Ivo, or anyone, tries to recover the remains. You will split into undercover teams to safe guard the two real trucks," Batman said, finished with the debriefing.

"Yes!" Wally said excitedly. "Road trip."

Superboy did not echo Wally's excitement. "So now we take out your trash," he grumbled.

"You had something better to do?" Batman asked sarcastically.

A device in Kaldur's hands beeped several times, prompting him to look at its screen. "Coordinates received. On our way," he reported, leading the team out of the cave.

Six motorcycles were parked just outside the front entrance of Mount Justice, a racing suit atop each seat. Catlyn eyed them warily before resolving to at least try to pilot the two wheeled speeder. It was just like riding a bike right? Could she even ride a bike to begin with? Her nerves mounted as she and the others went off the change into the racing suits.

* * *

Despite several swerves and near misses, the team arrived at the rendezvous point intact. During the twenty mile drive with Robin as her patient teacher, Catlyn had gotten a handle of the controls, only white-knuckling the handlebars when she gunned the accelerator too much. Using the foot-shifter proved to be the most daunting challenge and, even after twenty miles, she would occasionally bypass a gear completely.

"Just relax and take it slow so you don't grind the gears," Robin instructed as the team readied themselves to go their separate ways.

Catlyn would be accompanying Robin and Superboy on the southern path to New York while Kaldur, Wally, and Megan would be guarding the north bound cargo to Boston.

Batman gave the signal and the trucks were off, the mission had now officially begun.

"Good luck"s and "Be safes"s were exchanged before the team divided to pursue their assigned truck. The two teams stayed close behind the last truck in their line, the one that housed the pieces of the android that had taken eight League members to bring to its knees. The decoy trucks exited the highway one after another.

As she had on the back of Robin's motorcycle, Catlyn felt herself relax after a time and immediately noticed that turns were much smoother when she would just lean into them rather than concentrating on sitting straight up the entire time. She heard Robin chuckle and realized she had been weaving in and out of turns at random since she had become more comfortable. She straightened out and slowed so that she was on the other side of Superboy.

"If dislike is the opposite of like, is disaster the opposite of aster?" Robin asked the brooding clone, who seemed to be the only person in the group to not be enjoying himself in the slightest. "See, instead of things going wrong, they go right," he reasoned. When Superboy didn't answer, or even let on that he had heard him, Robin tried a different approach. "Uh, clearly you're not feeling the aster. What's wrong?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Canary," he answered simply. "I mean, what business does she have teaching combat skills to a guy with super strength?" he asked, averting his eyes.

Catlyn felt herself frown. Canary was only trying to help, and she was right, you can't use your fists for everything. She kept her mouth shut though. She didn't think that tough love coming from her would be a good idea at this time, what with his near constant agitation that her fighting style didn't involve immediate action.

"Taking down stronger guys is part of the gig. Canary learned that the hard way. Same with Batman and, well, me." Robin answered. His tough love wasn't any better received than Catlyn thought hers would be as Superboy sped off ahead, his taillight streaking in the distance. "Was it something I said?"

There was a rustling in the fields of wheat that framed either side of the highway. Robotic flying monkeys burst up through their cover of wheat and converged on the truck.

"Robin, Superboy, Cat. Our truck is under attack," Kaldur's voice said from within Catlyn's helmet.

"Kinda figured," Robin said, somehow a smile present in his voice as monkeys continued to bombard the cargo hold.

"I hate monkeys," Superboy declared in a gruff voice.

A memory tugged at Catlyn's subconscious: something about hot chocolate on cold nights and, evil flying monkeys? She shook her head, ridding herself of that ridiculous notion. Now was not the time.

"Robot monkeys," Robin chuckled. "Totally Ivo's tweaked style." He switched his motorcycle into battle mode and suggested that Superboy do the same.

"No point," he argued, ditching the bike and hopping onto the roof of the truck.

Catlyn had just gotten used to two wheels, she didn't want to press her luck with one. She held back, barely dodging Superboy's renegade motorcycle as it crashed and flipped through the air.

"Or not," Robin said, joining Superboy on the truck when the tumbling motorcycle took out what remained of his speeder. He dislodged the monkeys on the door of the cargo hold while Superboy tried to keep them at bay by demolishing them by swinging his fists and helmet alike.

The back of Robin's speeder, which followed the truck in the air, aided him by firing lasers at the loading door. The monkeys proved too resilient however and ambushed it in an aerial assault, knocking it out of the sky and rendering it useless.

Catlyn rode up beside the truck, plucking the laughing monkeys off the side one by one with her whip. She glared at one of the flying robots that tried to burn through her whip, shattering it on the road below before it had a chance. She heard Superboy cry out as a robotic monkey in his grasp fired its lasers directly into his face.

The monkeys, laughing all the while, took advantage of Superboy's pain and worked together to incapacitate him for a time. They secured themselves to his arms and waist, using their combined thrust to lift him off of the roof of the truck and into the air. Once they reached a substantial altitude, they dropped him before returning to the multitude of their robotic companions swarming the cargo hold.

Catlyn retrieved a mouse bomb from her utility belt and pelted the side of the truck with it. The bomb detonated a fraction of a second after it left her hand, ignited prematurely by one of the monkey's laser eyes. She held back, rather than ride into the explosion.

Robin launched himself onto the roof of the truck in Superboy's absence. He retrieved a pair of collapsible escrima sticks and locked them into place before bashing any adversaries that came within range. He completed a handspring and landed at the front of the cargo hold. He turned and saw monkeys creeping up the back. That is, until Superboy landed with a loud thud, knocking Robin backwards.

Superboy ripped off the offending monkeys that plagued him, tossing them carelessly off the side of the speeding truck as Robin regained his balance.

Catlyn had caught back up with her teammates and continued to try and prevent as many monkeys from making it to the top of the cargo hold as possible. The monkeys had other plans and used the lasers from their eyes to blow the back tires on the right side of the truck.

The truck swerved and tilted from one side to another as the driver tried in vain to steady the speeding vehicle. He was only postponing the inevitable crash that loomed on the horizon.

"Get out," Robin yelled at the driver through the windshield. He wrenched open the door and pulled the driver from his seat and jumped with him off into the seemingly endless field of wheat.

Catlyn bailed off the highway from the other side, her motorcycle slipped and skidded on its side in response to her not adjusting for the change in terrain.

Susperboy remained on the top of the truck as it continued to swerve before rolling over on itself. He dug his fingers into the metal and hung on, as if glued to the spot as the truck tumbled three or four times. Sparks shot out from beneath the skidding truck, now coming to a stop positioned on its roof.

The loading door exploded and the monkeys flew off with the container holding the severed parts of the android.

Catlyn attempted to snap her whip around the canister, but it had already been taken out of her reach. A rustling in the wheat field made her turn, whip at the ready. She relaxed when she saw that it was Robin helping to support the driver.

Superboy pushed the truck off of himself with a loud grunt and glared in the direction of the laughing monkeys. Without so much as a word to his other teammates, he bounded after the robots, completely ignoring Robin trying to call him back.

"Aqualad to Robin, we've lost our cargo. Did you-" Kaldur asked before Robin interrupted him.

"It's gone," Robin groaned, "and so is one of my partners." Robin watched as Superboy's figure became smaller and smaller as he continued to chase after the monkeys in a blind rage.

* * *

**So there you have it. I know it's not the best place to leave off, but there really wasn't a good breaking point so this will just have to do. I'm already working on the next chapter so it should be out reasonably soon!**

**Thanks for sticking with me and my internet troubles. Here's to hoping it's not a reoccurring thing.**

**As always, thanks again to all those who review and give feedback. You guys really help!**


	8. How The Cat Jumps

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I pretend to have any ownership of Young Justice or the DC Universe. I do however take full ownership of Catlyn.**

**So here is chapter eight! My my, these chapters just keep getting longer and longer don't they. I hope you like this one as much as you guys seem to have liked the previous ones!**

**Sad to say, the reviews were a little scarce last chapter, but then again, there were so many updates of other stories that Captivating Sympathy fell off the first page pretty quickly. Seriously though, please share your thoughts with me about this. I love talking to people**

**Thanks to: Kone, spottedfire123, Frigyt, and of course mahlia for their reviews on the last chapter. I'm so glad that you guys like the story and that Catlyn in living up to, and in many cases, passing expectations! Thanks for giving her a chance and not automatically labeling her a Mary Sue.**

* * *

Recap: Superboy pushed the truck off of himself with a loud grunt and glared in the direction of the laughing monkeys. Without so much as a word to his other teammates, he bounded after the robots, completely ignoring Robin trying to call him back.

"Aqualad to Robin, we've lost our cargo. Did you-" Kaldur asked before Robin interrupted him.

"It's gone," Robin groaned, "and so is one of my partners." Robin watched as Superboy's figure became smaller and smaller as he continued to chase after the monkeys in a blind rage.

* * *

**Captivating Sympathy**  
**Chapter Eight: How The Cat Jumps**

Catlyn removed her helmet and walked over to Robin, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "He still has his ear piece. It's not like we wont be able to find him," she reasoned as Kaldur tried to talk Superboy down.

"I don't need help! Don't _want_ any!" Superboy snarled before a soft "plink" was heard.

"Or he could completely overreact and leave the group altogether," she sighed defeated.

"I think he ditched his comm," Robin reported, not able to suppress a smile as he looked down at Catlyn who had crossed her arms.

"Super!" Wally said sarcastically. "Now we can't even track _him_."

"He's out of my telepathic range," Megan informed the group, worry creeping into her tone. "This professor Ivo, if he is alive, seems to be two steps ahead of us. Maybe we should contact Red Tornado?" she offered, unsure.

"Tornado always tells us to handle things ourselves," Kaldur said, dismissing Megan's suggestion. "And the mission can still succeed if we recover the parts before they're reassembled."

Catlyn walked into the field of wheat to retrieve her motorcycle, kicking at the body of a robotic monkey that had been pinned beneath. She righted the speeder and steered it back to the highway, punting the monkey in frustration every time she caught up to where it had landed.

"Oh that's a _great_ plan," Wally interjected mockingly, "except for the part about us not knowing _where to look_!"

Robin saw Catlyn emerge from the wheat, the motorcycle beside her, and grinned when she sent a robotic monkey flying down the highway with a hard kick. "Maybe we do," he smirked. He walked over and knelt down next to the fallen machine. He pulled a wire from his glove and inserted it into one of the ports on the monkey's back.

It had been disabled, but not destroyed like the others that had fared far worse.

Robin knew this would be there best chance. "We'd have heard by now if the decoy trucks had been attacked," he reasoned, beginning to hack into the monkey's database, "So how did these monkey's know exactly which trucks to target?" he posed the question, waiting for the information to be decoded. A holographic screen popped up, displaying the location of the parts and presumably Superboy. "Ha, the parts have GPS," he said triumphantly. "The monkeys can track the signal, which means I can track them with the one we have. Looks like both sets of parts are converging on-" He trailed off, looking to Catlyn with a slightly worried expression. "Gotham City," he finished.

Catlyn felt her eyes widen. She locked the kickstand into place and dug through her saddle bags, collecting its contacts. She clenched her hooded mask tightly within her grasp. If something was going down in Gotham, it was never a good sign.

"That far south?" Kaldur questioned. "M'gann and I wont get there anytime soon. I'm sending Kid on ahead to meet you," he informed. "Aqualad out."

Robin threw the monkey over his shoulder and looked out at the mechanical carnage that littered the highway. "Definitely a disaster," he said with a shake of his head. "Heavy on this dis."

Catlyn walked over to him and presented a bundle of fabric. "Figured you might need this," she said once he had taken it.

He looked down and saw his superhero costume, complete with cape and mask. "And what made you think that?" he asked with a smile.

She rolled her eyes. "Because with us," she motioned to the jumble of metal debris and the overturned truck, "nothing ever goes according to plan."

Robin chuckled, finding he had to agree. "What about you?"

Catlyn smirked and undid the zipper on the front of the racing jacket, revealing her black catsuit beneath. "Got it covered." She peeled off the racing suit and donned her hooded mask before securing her whip around her waist while Robin changed within the field of wheat. She then climbed onto the back seat of the speeder, waiting for Robin to emerge.

He wandered back onto the highway, barely catching the helmet she lobed at him from her position on the motorcycle. He looked at her questioningly. They both knew his speeder, while in battle mode, was still operational.

"We would get there faster if you drove," she shrugged, not moving from her spot.

Robin smiled and mounted the bike, inputting the tracking code for the parts into the built in GPS. He started the speeder and raised the kickstand. "Ready?" he asked over his shoulder.

Catlyn nodded. She wrapped her arms around his waist and braced for the jolt of speed she knew was coming. When the motorcycle accelerated smoothly, she relaxed her grip on him slightly.

Unfortunately, Robin had banked on that. When he felt her grip slacken he smirked and gunned the accelerator, the tires screaming in protest.

Not expecting this in the least, Catlyn squealed and clenched her eyes shut, doubling her grip around his waist. "Jerk!" she called out.

Robin only laughed, pleased that he had succeeded in surprising her once again. After a time, he felt her hold slacken, though not nearly as much as before. He heard her mumble something and strained his ears to hear more, only catching the last part: flying monkeys. "What are you mumbling about back there?"

"Just talking to myself," Catlyn admitted. There was a pause before she spoke again. "Hey, Robin. Isn't there a movie with evil flying monkeys?" she asked.

"Yeah, The Wizard of Oz," he answered before smirking. "But I don't think Ivo would be one to watch something like that for inspiration. The guy's twisted enough."

"I remember that movie," she said in a soft voice, as if she were far away. She closed her eyes and continued. "I would watch it all the time when I was sick, but the monkeys always gave me nightmares. A woman, I guess it was my mom, would come in with a big mug of hot chocolate and fast forward it for me so I didn't have to look," she finished with a small smile and opened her eyes. "I'm not sure why, but knowing that makes me happy."

Robin placed one hand over both of her's which were still clasped around him. "I'm glad," he smiled.

Several fasted paced whooshing sounds wafted up from the lane beside them. Wally had finally caught up to the pair and had found time to change into his Kid Flash costume.

"So you changed too," Robin observed.

"You kidding?" he asked with an overly dramatic shiver. "I feel naked in civies. You still tracking the parts?"

"They were headed _through_ Gotham, but they've veered," he reported, checking the parts' location on the speeder's display. "Wait, dude! They're at our school," he said with a backwards glace to Catlyn.

"Nope, nothing ever goes according to plan," she said, tightening her grip around Robin's waist as he took the next exit and accelerated along the familiar path to their high school.

Wally ran behind them as Robin gunned the speeder for everything the machine was worth.

More so than worrying about the destruction Ivo could cause, Robin knew Batman would kill him if his secret identity was to be discovered. He had already been lectured at great length during several occasions for letting Catlyn in on it so the promise of more to come was less than comforting.

"Whoa. Dude, this is your school?" Wally asked as the three bypassed the front entrance and skid to a stop in the rear parking lot. He let out a low whistle, "As far as schools go, not bad."

Catlyn shushed him and walked cautiously around the building, motioning for the others to follow her. She heard the distinct laughter that could only come from the robotic monkeys. The sound of faint applause also reached her ears as she slinked closer to the back entrance of the gymnasium.

"I don't usually attend these things in person," a man's voice said, floating out through the partially opened gymnasium door, "but, uh, this was too good to miss."

"Access, Superman," a monotone voice followed seconds after.

Robin, Wally and Catlyn looked through the slight opening into the gym. They saw a somewhat scrawny man in a sweater vest and bow tie framed by a pair of identical robotic monkeys sitting on the bleachers.

"Ivo," Robin said in a low, dangerous voice, confirming Catlyn's suspicions.

The trio's attention turned to Superboy as he got to his feet. Out of the shadows came the previously disassembled android. He stood menacingly neither advancing nor retreating. He waited patiently, coaxing Superboy to make the first move.

Superboy obliged, rushing the android with his fists raised and his usual roar of a battle cry. His right fist connected solidly with his opponents jaw. A metallic clang reverberated around the room.

Leaving no time to celebrate the hit, the android backhanded Superboy across the face with his left hand and combined it with a right jab, colliding hard with Superboy's cheek as he reacted to the force from the first hit. He backhanded him again, this time with his right, and Superboy was actually turned around from the strength of the impact. As Superboy turned to face the his adversary, the android kicked upward, slamming his foot into Superboy's jaw. He sent Superboy sprawling to the floor once again with the use of a backhand.

"I can't watch this anymore," Wally announced and used his super speed to run to the second set of double doors leading to the gymnasium and scooped Superboy up before the android could flatten him with a forceful blow to the top of his head. "Yoink," he said as he raced across the hardwood floor.

During this time, Robin and Catlyn had slipped in and stood ready to fight, regardless of if Superboy wanted their help of not.

Robin created cover by flinging his exploding disks at the stoic android.

"Martian Manhunter," he said in his robotic monotone voice. His torso became intangible and the disk sailed through him, exploding upon meeting the wall on the far side of the gym. He stared at the group as if unimpressed. "Access, Red Tornado." From his waist down, he generated a red tornado, just as Catlyn had seen the day of the team's fist mission. He advanced on the group clustered by the door and let the wind from his generated cyclone launch them in different directions.

Robin and Superboy were propelled into the bleachers nearest Ivo, kicking up clouds of dust as their bodies bounced and skid to a stop. Wally was thrown backwards into a wall. His back took the majority of the blow and the rebound sent him face first onto the hardwood floor below. Catlyn had been pitched the furthest, crumpling into the seats of the top most section of the bleachers across from Robin and Superboy.

Catlyn cradled her head and raised herself only to see the android approaching Wally. "Kid, run!" she insisted as their adversary raised his hand, palm outward at him. Her warning was received and he dashed along the wall behind the section of bleachers, narrowly avoiding a powerful blast the android had stolen from Captain Atom.

"Access, Flash," the robot announced. He raced up the bleachers and was nearly on top of Catlyn before she had time to blink. He raised his fist and connected hard with the right side of her face. He would have broken cheekbone had she not instinctively taken a step away from him and leaned backwards. Rather than a direct hit, his fist glanced off, diminishing the force behind it considerably.

The magnitude of the blow knocked her backwards down the bleachers. She was met at the bottom by the android, poised for another attack, this one sure not to miss. Catlyn grasped her whip firmly, scrambling to stand before he could strike.

"Get away from her!" Wally and Robin called out at the same time.

Wally used his super speed and attempted to get her out of his attack range, but the robot would not cooperate with his plan so willingly.

"Access, Black Canary." The android opened it's mouth, emitting and an ear piercing sonic scream. It hit Wally head on, knocking all the way back along the furthest wall.

While Wally had not managed to pull her to relative safety, he did cause enough of a distraction for her to slip out from behind him and back against a wall. She used it to steady herself until she could stand on her own.

"Superman," the robotic voice called out, raising its right hand to catch a punch thrown by Superboy. Clenching Superboy's fist in his, he hauled back with his left hand and delivered a devastating blow, knocking him back into the bleachers for a second time.

Robin was now standing and threw a couple exploding disks after ducking beneath the projectile that was Superboy.

"Martian Manhunter." The android stretched out his arms, batting away the incoming disks, having them explode well before they reached him. Without knowing that Catlyn had snapped her whip around his now stretched out limb, he threw his arm forward, crashing down on the bleachers. He narrowly avoided Robin, but sent Catlyn and her whip whizzing through the air and into the middle section.

Catlyn stood and readied herself for the next attack, spitting a mouthful of blood and trying to relieve herself of the coppery aftertaste. She watched as Wally ran towards the robot only to be wrapped in an embrace so tight that the pain was clearly seen as joints popped and bones were pushed to the braking point. She reached into her utility belt and gathered up a mouse bomb.

The distraction was not needed as an arrow with green plumage flew in through the window. The android was forced to become intangible rather than take an arrow straight through his head. Wally dropped from his grasp as the arrow passed through and embedded itself in the floor beside Robin.

Robin turned an looked at Catlyn, both of them coming to the same conclusion: he can only channel one superhero at a time.

Catlyn threw her mouse bomb, having it explode prematurely to lure his attention away from Wally who was still trying to get his bearings.

Rather than looking to Catlyn, the android began advancing towards Robin who was trying to retrieve a weapon from his utility belt.

She leaped from her place in the bleachers to the hardwood floor. Upon her landing, she heard a sickening pop and felt her ankle beginning to give way. She knew that in this condition she would never make it to Robin in time. With a flick of her whip, she ensnared her teammate and jerked him towards her, finally pulling him behind her and releasing him. The combined pressure and effort was too much and she crumpled into a squat with her injured leg out to the side, hissing at the approaching robot, "Get back."

The android did not heed her warning, but it didn't seem to matter. Superboy had been tired of letting the others play. He barreled into the robot, pushing him away from his teammates.

While the android was momentary distracted, Robin helped Catlyn to her feet. "Told ya' you'd return the favor," he said with a smile before putting himself between her and the raging battle.

The robot channeled Black Canary and preformed the same maneuver that the actually Canary had during training. He gripped Superboy by the shoulder and elbow before sending him flying into the bleachers where he created a crater.

Robin threw a batarang at the android, still keeping a hold of Catlyn.

"Superman," the android called out moments before his already red eyes began glowing in the dimly light gymnasium.

Catlyn felt Robin stiffen and held onto him even tighter before they were both snatched up by Wally. It was too close a call as far as Catlyn was concerned. She could feel the heat from the lasers that could have very well been the end of her. The trio landed rather unceremoniously, Catlyn putting too much of her weight on her right wrist as she landed.

"Ooh, yawn," Professor Ivo said as if the demonstration had been a bore. "Normally Amazo would study and mimic your abilities during battle, but what's the point? You're all such poor copies of the originals." His monkey companions began laughing.

"So everyone keeps saying," Superboy said with a smirk. "It makes me _angry_!"he shouted before bounding over to the set of bleachers where Ivo was seated. He raised his fists and brought them crashing down, narrowly avoiding the fleeing mad man and his robotic cohorts. "Wanna see me channel that anger!"

"Great, he's gone ballistic again," Wally said as he watched the display.

"Maybe not," Robin said thoughtfully.

"Amazo, protect your master," Ivo stammered. "Priority alpha." He jumped from the bleachers and onto the hardwood floor as Superboy once again tried to pound him into the seats.

"Captain Atom," Amazo said, raising hand, his palm outward, and aiming a Superboy. A stream of yellow energy hit his target square in the chest.

The robotic monkeys lifted Ivo off the ground by each arm, attempting to get him to safety.

"Any one wanna play keep-away?" Robin smirked, coming up behind the suspended Ivo. He landed a kick in the center of his back, knocking him out of the grasp of the bumbling flying monkeys.

Catlyn took her whip and wrapped Ivo tightly within its grasp. "Sounds like fun," she grinned before tugging the handle of the whip, leaving the professor where he stood, though he didn't remain still. Her smile grew as she watched him spin like a top once the whip had been removed. "Who's next?" she asked.

"Me! Me!" Wally cried out, rushing the staggering mad man who was trying to get his bearings.

"Access Superman," Amazo said in his monotone voice. He stomped with enough force to send a shock wave to meet Wally before he could reach his creator. He watched as the force catapulted the speeder over Ivo by a good twenty feet.

Robin threw another batarang and smirked when he became intangible.

Superboy rushed the android and punched threw him, letting him form back around his outstretched fist. He waited for a time and Amazo's head exploded, knocking Superboy away before it fell backwards, moving no more.

"Help me disassemble him," Robin urged, skidding to a stop on his knees beside the fallen Amazo.

Catlyn looked around the gymnasium and discovered Ivo had slipped away in the confusion. She limped through the doors leading into the school, looking for any sign of him. The tinkling of glass shattering from the floor above caught her attention. She found the nearest staircase and hobbled up, clutching the railing tightly beneath her uninjured hand.

A door to a chemistry lab stood ajar and she peeked inside. She found the cause of the shattering glass, a beaker from the top shelf of a cabinet had managed to slip through an opening in the doors which was slowly growing larger with the pressure of the glass instruments behind it. She jumped as a flask slipped out and shattered like the beaker before it. She sighed and returned out into the hallway where she saw that the trophy case had been demolished.

Shards of glass littered the ground. Picture frames lay at strange angles both in the case and strewn on the floor.

Catlyn picked up one picture in particular and looked at, a warm smile tugging at he corners of her lips. She glanced into the trophy case, looking at the award that was paired in the picture with a smiling Dick Grayson. She placed the picture in the case face down. When she turned back around, she came face to chest with a very familiar uniform.

"What are you doing up here?" he asked, tilting her chin up much like he had her first day of school.

She blinked several times before she smiled, thankful for the dim lighting which served to make her blush less noticeable. "Saving your secret," she answered as he removed his hand.

He took her hand in his, releasing it immediately when he noticed her wince. He inspected it closer and saw her right wrist was nearly double the size of her left. "We need to get you back to HQ and taken care of," he said, concern creeping into his tone.

"I'm alright. Most of these are my fault," Catlyn said with a reassuring smile. "I need to work on my landings." She limped forward, heading towards the staircase at the end of the hallway.

Robin allowed her to hobble only for a few shaky steps before a he scooped her into his arms. He used one arm to prop up her knees and the other to support her back. His lips curved into a smile at hearing her surprised little noise followed by a soft groan.

"I should have seen this coming," she grumbled with a small grin, crossing her arms over her chest in a pout. She could feel the vibrations in his chest as he chuckled.

As soon as Robin and Catlyn return to the gymnasium Catlyn saw that Megan and Kaldur had arrived.

Megan rushed over when they made their appearance, fussing over the gash in Catlyn's cheek and the swelling that had been slowly creeping up throughout the fight. "Are you alright?" she asked over and over again despite Catlyn's constant reassurance that she was fine.

"Feeling the aster?" Superboy asked with a small smile.

"You know," Catlyn started with a grin, "I think I am."

* * *

Upon their return to Mount Justice, Catlyn was taken to receive medical treatment and a cold pack to combat the swelling while the rest of the team reported their findings on the mission. She was outfitted with a splint for her sprained wrist and an ace bandage for her twisted ankle.

At the end of her examination, Black Canary came in and gave her a quick once over.

"I know," Catlyn started before Canary had a chance. "I need more practice."

Black Canary pulled up a chair and sat in front of her. She smiled and placed a hand over her own injured arm. "Your team did the impossible tonight," she began, fully gaining the teen's attention. "From what I've heard, you came to the rescue of more than one person at the expense of injury. Yeah, you need practice," she said, standing up and putting a hand on Catlyn's shoulder, "but you're not hopeless." She walked to the door, pausing in the doorway. "Batman wants to see you. He'll be waiting in the debriefing room," Canary reported before leaving the room all together.

She sat in silence, letting Canary's words wash over her. She felt queasy when wondering what Batman could possibly have to say to her. Wanting to get the ordeal over with, she limped to her meeting with Batman, her heart palpitating rapidly against her ribcage. "You wanted to see me?" she confirmed in a small voice.

Batman turned to face her and gestured to a chair. "Sit," he ordered. "Don't strain yourself. Sit," he commanded a bit more forcefully when she remained standing.

Catlyn sat down slowly in the chair positioned by the loan metal table and waited for Batman to shed light on why he had summoned her.

"Your abilities have impressed the League," he began, "but they have also raised questions about your origin. We will be keeping a close eye on you."

"If I was going to turn traitor, don't you think I would have done it already?" she snapped, jumping to her feet and quickly regretting the decision. She crumpled back in the chair and gestured to the opening from which she entered. "Megan can read my mind. I'm not-"

"You will be under my direct surveillance since I am responsible for this team," he interrupted. "You are not to leave Mount Justice without Robin or myself as an escort for precautionary measures."

"Are- are you grounding me?" she asked disbelievingly.

Batman almost chuckled. "Only until you've healed."

Catlyn sat there, dumbstruck. Was she in trouble or was Batman only trying to protect her? Perhaps it was from her lack of sleep that both options seemed plausible. She knew one thing for certain though, he had information and wasn't keen on sharing.

* * *

The next day, Megan all but physically restrained Catlyn to the couch. She was diligent in making sure that Catlyn had an icepack pressed against her swollen cheek at all times despite the injured girls many protests. When she heard complaints of being cold in response to being told to keep the cold compress on, Megan draped a blanket around her. "You have to keep cold on it. That's what Black Canary said," she said with a faint smile. It wasn't that she wished harm on anyone, but it was refreshing to have someone need her for a time.

"I can warm you up," Wally said with a waggle of his eyebrow before appearing on the couch beside her and draping an arm around her shoulder.

Kaldur watched the display, mildly amused, and shook his head. If there was one thing this team was helping him with, it was getting him to be slightly less formal. He had been known to smile easier, but wasn't at the point he felt comfortable joining in with Wally's brand of teasing.

Superboy had opted out of recuperating and kept with his scheduled jaunt through Metropolis.

"Recognized, Robin. B zero one," the security system announced.

Megan greeted him as he exited the teleporter and helped him with the bags he carried.

Kaldur in turn took the bags from Megan.

"How are you feeling, Cat?" Robin asked from the kitchen.

"Like I was punched in the face and then had it cryogenicly frozen," she said, teeth chattering slightly.

Wally departed into the kitchen to see what goodies Robin had brought with him. He held up a box and looked at him confused. "Dude, it's still really hot outside," he commented.

Robin shushed him and pulled out a half gallon container of ice cream, handing it to him. "Here. Happy?" he asked, opening cabinet doors before fiddling with the microwave.

Wally's eyes lit up and his entire face brightened. He retrieved two spoons, offering one to Megan who looked unsure. "You've never had _ice cream_?" he asked completely flabbergasted.

Megan shook her head bashfully. "It's really cold on Mars," she explained. "We usually eat warm things, not frozen. Catlyn, you have to stay off your foot," she called out sternly, seeing Catlyn inching off the couch from the corner of her eye.

"And keep that icepack on," Kaldur added.

Catlyn begrudgingly relented her plans of escaping the couch.

Wally urged the spoon into Megan's hand and popped open the lid, digging greedily into its contents. "It's time you try it," he grinned after taking a large mouthful of the creamy treat.

Megan agreed and took a much smaller bite, declaring it delicious with a smile.

Robin walked out of the kitchen with a large tray and set it down on the coffee table. The tray contained two steaming mugs and a DVD of The Wizard of Oz. He handed her on of the mugs and put the DVD into the player before sitting down on the couch next to her. "I know you're not sick," he began, "but I hope this makes you feel better all the same."

Catlyn looked down into her hot chocolate, complete with mini marshmallows, and was almost overcome when she heard the beginning notes of the movie's musical introduction. She looked up at a smiling Robin, utterly lost for words as tears of gratitude pricked her eyes.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders briefly giving them a squeeze before turning up the movie a bit louder. He smiled wider when she rested her head on his shoulder. "Let me see your hand," he said softly. He removed the hand that was holding the icepack to her face and wrapped it around her mug of hot chocolate. "Better?"

"The best," she answered honestly, feeling tension she wasn't even aware she was carrying leave her body.

* * *

"Recognized, Superboy. B zero four," the security system said and, as promised, Superboy strode into view.

He gave Megan, Wally and Kaldur a strange look, curious as to why they were peeking over the side of the half wall dividing the living room from the kitchen. "What-" He was interrupted by the trio turning and shushing him all at once. "What are you looking at?" he asked in a whisper, crouching down to watch with them.

"Young love," Megan replied in a dreamy voice.

Young love? With that tornado destroying the farm, it looked more like a disaster.

* * *

**Aww, Robin is so sweet, isn't he? It seems everyone has figured out what is going on but them... and Superboy.**

**I hope you liked the chapter and my little moment for the two of them. Hopefully this isn't becoming too DEATH BY FLUFFY for you. Let me know what you think.**


	9. Like A Cat To Water

**I am so sorry for keeping you waiting for so long! Several things have changed for me and really put my life into perspective. I have been working on this chapter bit by bit and it has kept me relatively sane throughout this time.**

**All that aside, I really hope that this loooong chapter is worth the wait. I'm actually worried about this one since it's fairly DEATH BY FLUFFY, but that is what many of you have requested regarding the infamous "Beach Scene". I offer this flufftastic chapter as a peace offering along with the assurance that it won't take me well over a three months to get the next couple of chapters out!**

**I am so happy with all the reviews I got for the last chapter! It seriously broke my heart that I couldn't get this out to you guys faster! Thank you all so much. I replied to all your reviews at the end of this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I pretend to have any ownership of Young Justice or the DC Universe. I do however take full ownership of Catlyn**

* * *

**Captivating Sympathy  
Chapter Nine: Like A Cat To Water **

With the exception of a sickening yellow discoloration, Catlyn's wrist was slowly returning to normal. The brace was still worn during times of strain such as training, but its usefulness was becoming less and less frequent. Both her ankle and previously swollen cheek had healed completely through the use of mountains of ice and what she would refer to as her imprisonment to a single location.

Gotham City Academy was currently undergoing construction to patch up the demolished classrooms and the gaping hole in the upper wall of the gymnasium from the team's last mission. This development provided Catlyn with time to recuperate inconspicuously and avoid questions about the origin of her injuries. The students were not on a vacation by any means though as homework for the time missed was constantly being sent out and expected to be completed by the time classes reconvened. In response, Catlyn and Robin had taken over the living room, claiming it as their personal study hall. Kaldur and Superboy had no problem in leaving the two studious teens be and spent several hours training during the day while Megan watched before making dinner.

Despite the pair being bombarded with the influx of assignments, Wally still found the situation outrageously unfair. "Comfy chairs!" he grumbled from the kitchen, seeing Robin sitting on one of the green couches while Catlyn was huddled around the coffee table.

"You have a new one every day," Catlyn commented flatly on Wally's comparisons of school and Mount Justice without looking up from the last bits of her history homework.

Robin glanced down at her and grinned before he finished editing Catlyn's English paper. He leaned over and set it on the table haphazardly. "Yeah," he agreed, "but yesterday's was pretty good."

"What did I say yesterday?" Wally asked through a mouthful of cake Megan had made earlier that day.

"We don't have to suffer through cafeteria food," Robin smirked as Wally visibly shuddered.

Catlyn set her pencil down and stretched before gathering up her many scattered assignments and placed them in their respected class folders. "Finally finished," she sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head back on the cushions of the couch behind her.

"Took you long enough," Robin teased, chuckling when Catlyn opened her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Wally cast a look at the clock in the kitchen and back at Catlyn and Robin. "Get a late start? Why are you just finishing up at six?" he asked perplexed.

"We decided-" Robin began before being interrupted by a loud humorless laugh from Catlyn. "Fine," he conceded, "I decided that we should do tomorrow's assignments when they got here instead of waiting to do them in the morning." He directed his attention over to Catlyn with a small smile. "You'll thank me tomorrow," he said, sounding rather sure of himself.

Catlyn slowly picked her head up off the couch and stared at him, trying to figure out what he had planned. Her time spent studying Robin's features was cut short as her focus was broken by Wally's voice.

"Why didn't you just leave when you were finished, Cat?" Wally asked. "There are plenty of places to go around here," he said, gesturing to the several exits around the cave with a banana.

"I can't go anywhere without Robin," Catlyn responded with a shrug, only half explaining her situation.

Wally looked between his two teammates and smirked at the brilliant teasing opportunity that had been set before him. Discarding his banana, he sped into the living room and pinched Catlyn's cheek with one hand and Robin's with the other. "Daww, how cute," he said, pulling their cheeks in the direction of the couch's center cushion. Seemingly satisfied that they were now looking at one another, he released them. "Gonna go train," he said, backing away with a smirk. "Don't do anything I wouldn't, you crazy kids."

"Batman grounded her," Robin yelled after Wally, feeling his cheeks heat up at the Speeder's implication.

"Well that's interesting," Catlyn mused as she looked in the direction of the training room, both her cheeks a vibrant shade of pink.

Robin looked down at her, his heart beating rapidly. Try as he might, he couldn't explain the nervousness that gripped him.

She turned her head to look at him. "I didn't think there _was_ anything Wally wouldn't do," she answered with a calm innocence reflected in her large green eyes.

A sense of relief washed over him, leading to several sporadic chuckles being released. He paused for a moment and shook his head, laughing more evenly.

"Well I didn't," Catlyn said in a quiet voice, her blush deepening.

Robin shook his head again as if to signify that he wasn't laughing at her. "You're right. It just sounds wrong coming from him," he said with a large grin.

"Are you going to be staying for dinner Robin?" Megan called as she entered the kitchen, her nose already buried in a cookbook.

"Nah," Robin said as he got up off the couch, "I'd better be getting back to the Batcave." He lowered his hand to Catlyn, pulling her to her feet when she accepted it. "Get some sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow," he said before walking towards the back, more than likely to say his goodbyes to the rest of the team.

Catlyn watched after him, her mind, fried from a marathon of homework, tried to once again figure out what he had planned for tomorrow. Coming up with nothing, she flopped onto the couch and rolled onto her front.

"Boys are confusing, aren't they," Megan offered, looking up from the book for an instant.

Catlyn mumbled the affirmative into the couch's arm rest. It was something she had heard several times, but she began to wonder when she started to care. The more she thought on it, the larger a knot grew in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

Catlyn sat up in bed for several hours after bidding everyone an early goodnight. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin upon them. Several questions and half-baked answers raced around in her mind as she sat in her pitch black room.

Why couldn't boys just say what they meant? Unless they did and girls tried to look deeper for things they wanted to hear. Why are the other boys here not as confusing? Superboy said everything he thought without restraint. With Wally, Catlyn was almost afraid to know what went on in his head, and although Kaldur didn't speak much, he left no question as to his intentions. Why was Robin different? Unless he wasn't and there was nothing that needed to be said. Did-did that bother her?

Although no one was there to see, she hid her face in her hands as a heavy blush tainted her cheeks. She curled up under the covers and willed sleep to take her.

Sleep did eventually come to claim her, but it was far from restful. The thoughts that plagued her before her decent into unconsciousness manifested themselves as dreams, leaving her to toss and turn until morning.

* * *

"Wake up Cat. I'll leave you if you aren't ready," a perky voice said from above Catlyn's bed.

Green eyes fluttered open to meet friendly red orbs staring back, crinkled in a smile. Catlyn yawned and stretched, casting a curious glance at Megan before rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What's goin' on? Where are we going?" she mumbled as she swung her legs over the side of her bed.

Megan regarded her with a look of confusion before understanding crossed her face. "Hello Megan," she said with her trademark tap to her forehead. "You went to sleep before Robin called about going to the beach today."

"The beach?" Catlyn asked dumbfounded. "But I don't-"

"Exactly," Megan said with excitement, holding up her index finger, "which means we have to go out and get what we need. I made a list from what I've seen people do on the TV. According to that we'll need-"

Catlyn tuned Megan out as she gathered clothes to change into after a shower and followed the chatty Martian out into the hallway. She nodded every now and then to appear like she was actively engaged in the conversation as she thought about the day's events that had been set before her. Shopping _and_ water? Oh, she'd thank him alright, she mused with an inaudible grumble.

"Is there anything I missed?" Megan asked after coming to a halt outside Catlyn's bathroom.

Catlyn bit her lower lip and tried to think of something the Martian may have over looked in an effort to continue the ruse that she had been paying attention. "Sunscreen?" she offered.

Megan stared down at her with a blank expression before a small embarrassed giggle escaped her. "I did forget about that part," she admitted with a small blush.

Wondering what the blush was about, Catlyn opened her mouth to ask before the realization struck. "That's not what I meant," she insisted with a blush of her own. "The sun-"

The Martian only giggled once more and forced Catlyn into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. "I'll be waiting at the bioship for you," she called out over Catlyn's sputtering attempts to explain her reasoning for sunscreen.

Catlyn cupped her face in her hands and shook her head. So it was going to be that kind of day.

* * *

Following a quick shower, Catlyn quietly meandered through the barren living room on her way to the bioship's docking platform. She waited for Megan to open the hatch, mussing her still damp hair into some semblance of a style. Upon boarding, she paused after casting a glance at Megan.

Although she had seen Megan manipulate their teammates before, it gave her pause to see a perfect replica of Robin sitting in the captain's chair.

"Wow Megan," Catlyn said, sitting in the only other chair as she swiveled to face her. "You look different," she said stating the obvious, at a loss for anything else to say.

"Well of course silly," Megan grinned. "Batman did say you couldn't leave the cave without he or Robin going with you," she explained as the spacecraft became airborne and blended in with the surroundings.

Catlyn nodded and smiled at her, wondering if she understood that this probably wasn't what Batman had in mind. "You've really improved with your shape shifting," she complimented.

The Martian blushed lightly and smiled, turning the focus off herself and on to the matter at hand. "We should be able to get everything from a mall in Happy Harbor. We'll start out with a nice swimsuit for you. You're really cute Cat, so I think a bikini that doesn't show too much skin would be perfect for you. We'll find one that Robin will love."

Catlyn's stomach did a somersault and she could feel an intense heat radiating from her face. "W-what?" she stammered, slightly taken aback by such boldness coming from her teammate.

"Don't you want to look cute for him?" Megan asked as her head morphed back into its usual appearance, worried she had been completely off base with her reading of a potential budding romance between the two.

"Yeah," Catlyn admitted before shaking her head. "I mean no. I mean," she sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest, "I don't know."

Megan landed the ship, still in camouflage mode, on the outskirts of the mall parking lot and opened the hatch. She hugged Catlyn tightly around her shoulders as the petite girl walked past her. "We'll get everything figured out eventually," she said with a reassuring smile before once again completing her Robin replica.

Catlyn smiled up at her and returned the hug, the knot in her stomach easing slightly. "I hope so," she admitted. "Fighting crime is easy compared to this. At least you know where you stand."

* * *

Robin walked into Mount Justice already in his swimming attire. He had a cooler in tow and a volleyball under his arm. He cast a quick glance around the living room and smiled at Kaldur. "Ready for the beach?" he asked excitedly, lobbing the ball at the living room's only other inhabitant.

Kaldur caught the ball easily and set it down gently on the floor. "I am curious as to why you chose to organize a beach visit today rather than on a weekend," Kaldur confessed.

Robin tabbed a soda from his cooler and took a large gulp before answering Kaldur's query with a smirk. "Give Wally something else to complain about. That, and it's the last day before Cat and I have to head back to school."

"I see," Kaldur said with a small smile. "So you didn't want Wally to see Catlyn in her bathing-suit."

"Yeah," Robin answered, preparing for another drink. "Wait, no!" he stammered, bringing the can away from his mouth.

Kaldur chuckled at his teammate's catch.

"It-it's not like that. We're just friends," he insisted.

"I didn't say you were anything more," Kaldur responded, a small smile still playing on his lips as Robin flushed. "You seem to be very close to her."

"Yeah? Well, we spend a lot of time together," he reasoned. "We go to school together and on missions together and we train together." His blush had receded, although a light shade of pink still graced his cheeks.

Kaldur nodded, feeling a subtle pleasure in teasing Robin. Perhaps Wally was rubbing off on him more than he had originally thought.

Grunts could be heard coming from the hallway leading to the bioship's docking platform.

"Explain this to me again, Megan. Why did we think it would be a good idea to unload the ship all at once?" Catlyn's frustrated voice wafted into the living room.

Several boxes clattered to the floor.

"This requires a lot more concentration than I originally thought," Megan complained as the pair traipsed through the hallway. Rather than the duo coming into view, the passage was obscured by a wall of boxes from the floor to the ceiling.

"I think we're stuck," Catlyn's muffled voice said from the other side.

Robin and Kaldur exchanged a grin at the ridiculousness of the scene in front of them before beginning to break down the cardboard barrier which separated them from their teammates.

"Thanks Kaldur," Megan smiled as Kaldur and Robin began to pull at the boxes that jutted out the furthest.

"What all did you buy, Megan?" Robin asked, not bothering to mask his amusement as Catlyn came into view, box by box.

"A lot," Catlyn answered before Megan could go through her list for what seemed like the hundredth time in the three hours they had been shopping.

"Oh, we're running late," Megan complained after a quick glance at the clock in the kitchen. She grabbed hold of Catlyn, shoving the bag that contained her teammate's swimsuit into her hands. "We'll unpack while you change," Megan insisted, turning Catlyn around by her shoulders and sending her on her way with a gentle shove.

Not having much of a choice in the matter, Catlyn retreated to her bedroom and changed into her newly attained swimsuit. She blushed at her reflection, wondering why she felt more naked in the cornsilk bikini and board shorts with black trimming than she did in her formfitting catsuit.

A knock at her door jarred her from her thoughts.

She tied a sheer black sarong around her waist and opened the door, surprised to see Superboy leaning on the wall across the hallway. "They sent you to collect me?" she asked, receiving a nod in the affirmative from the clone before he lead the way back to the living room. She followed at a distance, her arms wrapped around her midsection, and wondered how Megan had talked her out of getting a simple one-piece.

"Good, we're all here now," Megan called out excitedly before leading the way out of the cave and onto the beach, clutching a red boogie board. "Hello Megan. We should come to the beach every day," she said, watching the waves break against the shore.

"First, a moment of silence for our absent comrade," Robin remarked, cupping his face in his hand dramatically and somehow refraining from smirking.

"Poor Wally," Megan agreed as she closed her eyes and hung her head ever so slightly.

"The water is calling," Kaldur smiled, leading the charge into the surf. It pleased him to be in a position in which he could feel the comforts of the ocean while remaining with the friends he had made on the surface.

Robin and Megan followed quickly behind him, laughing as they splashed one another before shielding themselves from a wall of water created by a Superboy cannonball.

Catlyn watched from the shore, a small giggle escaping as she shook her head. She gathered her towel and spread it out in the shade before retrieving a book. A small blush graced her cheeks as she continued to rummage and pulled out a small bottle of sunscreen. She retreated to her towel and began to slather the bottle's contents on her bare skin wherever she could reach. Rather than asking for someone to rub it into her back, she instead resigned herself to not expose it to the sun.

The book was engrossing and she soon lost herself within its pages. The sound of the ocean lapping at the shore and the happy laughter from her friends added to a growing sense of peace. It was short lived however as another shadow fell upon her, accompanied by cool water droplets which pelted her pale skin. Catlyn tore her eyes away from her book and looked up at a positively drenched Robin.

"Hiding away in the shade?" he accused with a small smirk, crossing his arms over his chest.

Catlyn grinned and shook her head before she went back to her book. "Not hiding, just reading," she answered, only to have the book snatched from her grasp. "Hey!" she protested.

"Not anymore," Robin smirked before taking off.

She leaped to her feet and chased after him. "Give that back!" she demanded.

"Run, Robin!" Megan yelled from the water. "She's catching up!"

Robin only laughed and picked up his pace. "Come on, Cat," he jeered. "Some sun will do you good." He stumbled in the sand for a moment but quickly regained his balance.

That momentary stall was all Catlyn needed to close the gap. She reached out and grabbed his unoccupied wrist, spinning him to face her.

Despite the setback, Robin only grinned and further taunted her by holding the book straight into the air.

Catlyn narrowed her eyes as she stretched and reached, moving closer and closer until her body was pressed against his. She used his wrist for support as she came to rest on her tiptoes, her fingers only inches from the spine of her book.

Knowing her body was so close to his brought several dormant butterflies in Robin's stomach to life and he let out a shuddering breath, the book held tightly in his grasp forgotten.

She felt his warm breath waft across her neck and turned to look at him, her nose brushing against his in the process. Her previously narrowed eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat. How had she not noticed how close they had gotten? Despite her growing blush, she couldn't bring herself to look away until she heard the solitary 'click' of a camera.

Both Robin and Catlyn jumped back from one another as though they had been electrocuted and turned to look at Megan.

"Memories?" she offered with a giggle before flying into the air, well out of their reach, and turning the camera on Kaldur and Superboy

Catlyn's cheeks turned a bright red and she was finally able to retrieve her book from Robin's hand which now hung limply at his side. She noticed he had a blush to rival her own and allowed herself a small smile before turning back toward her shady sanctuary. The soft crunching of sand behind her alerted her to the fact that Robin was following her path.

"I thought you put on sunscreen," he said, falling into step beside her.

"I did," she answered, sneaking a glance at him. She noticed his cheeks had nearly returned to their original coloring and cursed her pale complexion.

"You missed a spot," he smirked, placing a gentle hand against the small of her back and hurrying her into the shade.

Once back in the shade, she turned to face him but averted her eyes. "Couldn't reach," she shrugged.

Robin picked up the bottle of sunscreen and squirted a substantial amount into his hands. "With that logic, you'll get a sunburn for sure." he remarked, rubbing his hands together and coating his palms with the sunblock, "Turn around."

Catlyn did so without protest, although she was sure he could hear her heart hammering away at her chest.

His touch was gentle, his hands larger and softer than she had realized. Had she not been so nervous, she might have even called the experience relaxing. She closed her eyes, trying to block out everything other than the sensation of his hands traveling up and down her back.

Her skin was so warm, so delicate. For a time, Robin could feel her heartbeat through her back and allowed himself the briefest of smiles before he noticed an area of even lighter skin. A very thin strip of scar tissue ran diagonally down her back. It started at her left shoulder blade and ended only inches before her waistline. Why had he not noticed earlier? With one hand on her shoulder he very gently grazed his fingertips along the path of the scar, leaving goosebumps in his wake.

"What are you doing?" Catlyn asked, catching Robin's hand at her waist. She turned within his lax grip to face him, a slight flush dusting her cheeks. Her eyes scanned his worried expression and she sighed. "I don't remember how I got it," she explained before he had time to ask. "Nothing to make a big deal over though," she shrugged with a reassuring smile. "It's not like it still hurts."

From over Robin's shoulder, Catlyn could see Kaldur approaching and was relieved her previous blush had completely dissipated.

"M'gann wishes to initiate a game of chicken," he reported, gesturing to the ocean where Megan was currently trying to explain the concept to a rather disinterested looking Superboy.

"Have fun with that," Catlyn grinned. She opened her book and flipped to her place only to have in snatched from her once more. "Not again," she huffed. "Robin, give it back," she insisted, her eyes following the book's shadow to Kaldur who only smiled.

"It is time you joined us," Kaldur said with a small grin.

Catlyn closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head.

"Come on, wuss," Robin jeered.

She opened one eye briefly, only to respond with a simple, "No."

"Weenie," Robin taunted a little louder.

"It's not going to work," Catlyn responded. "You're wasting you time."

"Scaredy cat," he smirked.

Both her eyes opened and she stared pointedly at Robin. "What did you say?"

Robin's smirk widened. "Scaredy cat," he repeated.

Kaldur chuckled quietly, looking between a pleased Robin and a jaded Cat who gave in to his ridicule.

"Fine!" Catlyn conceded, rather begrudgingly.

"I shall inform M'gann," Kaldur grinned, walking back to a dejected Megan and a frustrated Superboy.

Robin offered his hand to Catlyn who reluctantly allowed him to haul her up off her towel and lead her to the ocean. He felt her hesitate at the water's edge and smiled before turning around with an overly dramatic sigh. He squatted down in front of her and issued a simple command, "Get on."

Catlyn took him up on his offer and allowed him to carry her piggyback through the surf.

The deeper the pair ventured towards the others, the further Catlyn shimmied up Robin's back in order to avoid contact with the cool water.

Robin helped support her on her ascent to his shoulders where she finally came to rest.

"I didn't think you'd be so eager, Cat," Megan said with a warm smile, pushing herself through the waist deep water to great Catlyn and Robin.

Catlyn smiled back, actually enjoying allowing her feet to trail in the soft ocean current. "I came to win." she said sitting up a bit straighter. "There is no way I'm getting wetter than this," she declared with a grin.

Robin grinned and adjusted his grip around Catlyn's legs suddenly, causing her to wrap her arms around his forehead. "We'll see how well that works out," he chuckled.

"Jerk," Catlyn muttered, bopping Robin lightly on the top of the head as Megan giggled and Kaldur popped up out of the water beside her.

"Is everyone ready to begin?" Kaldur asked beside Megan.

Robin glanced past Kaldur towards Superboy who was currently engrossed with a tide pool teaming with life. "And what about him?" he asked, not wanting anyone to feel put out on the beach get away he had organized.

His question was answered when Superboy's head perked up and he barreled into the surf, a gentle smirk gracing his features before he leaped into the air.

Catlyn heard the deafening splash and clenched her eyes closed, bracing herself for the wall of water that was sure to swallow her up at any moment. After several seconds devoid of the influx of water, she opened one eye and chanced a look.

Kaldur halted the advancing wave with a single hand, his palm facing outward, and a look of mild concentration on his face. He removed his hand and the wall of water collapsed in on itself. "He wanted to play interference," he explained, turning his attention toward Robin who was holding tightly to Catlyn calves.

Not to be ignored, Superboy once again bounded into the air, only to be held in Megan's telepathic hold before he could plummet into the water.

"We haven't even started yet," she reprimanded with a giggle as she slowly lowered Superboy into the surf.

"You were taking too long," Superboy reasoned simply with a small smirk before retreating to his original position and waiting for the game to begin.

Catlyn agreed with Superboy and skimmed her toes along the surface of the water, light spraying Megan with a gentle sprinkling of water.

"Alright," Megan said with a grin, shielding herself from the onslaught of water droplets. She levitated herself onto Kaldur's shoulders. She draped her legs over her teammate's broad shoulders, but never fully rested on them.

Robin could feel the ocean current shift ever so slightly, seeming to curl and stiffen around Kaldur.

"Hey! No powers," Catlyn and Robin declared simultaneously.

Megan and Kaldur exchanged a glance before Megan closed the distance between herself and Kaldur's shoulders, and the current returned to normal.

Robin locked eyes with Kaldur and the challenge was set. He gave the top of Catlyn's thigh a gentle pat after he steadied himself to signal that he was ready.

The result was nearly instantaneous.

Megan hunched over as her fingers interlocked with Catlyn's. The two girls leaned forward, trying to muscle their opponent off their perch while the boys did their best to steady themselves.

Superboy erupted from the ocean between the two teams, effectively breaking the girls' hold on one another.

Robin reeled back from surprise, pitching Catlyn forward. In an effort to keep her from plummeting into the water below, he gripped her thighs tightly as her form stiffened and she placed her palms firmly against his chest. The combined effort steadied her and allowed her to straighten up.

"That was close," Catlyn said, somewhat breathy. She glanced over at Megan and Kaldur and realized that it was taking a little longer for the pair to get their barrings.

"Leverage," Robin whispered just loud enough for her to hear. He tilted his head back and smirked at her upon seeing that she seemed to have reached the same conclusion. While keeping an eye out for the renegade Superboy, he meandered back to their starting position to meet Kaldur.

The battle commenced as Megan's hands shot out, trying to find their mark on Catlyn's shoulders. A frown graced her features when she found she was unable to get a good hold as Catlyn time and time again was able to wrench herself free from Megan's clutches.

"Sunscreen," Catlyn smirked at Megan's puzzled expression. With that, she wrapped one arm around each of Megan's outstretched arms and leaned back.

Feeling the shift in her weight, Robin backtracked just as Superboy cannon-balled directly behind Kaldur.

Despite her grip slackening slightly, Catlyn regrouped and doubled her efforts to pry the Martian from her perch upon Kaldur's shoulders.

Trying too hard to overcompensate the force pulling her forward, Megan leaned back as far as she could.

Catlyn hunched over and gave one final pull. Feeling that Megan was using everything she had to straighten up, Catlyn released her hold on the Martian.

Once the constant pulling pressure was removed, Megan flailed her arms in a vain attempt to keep her balance, but it was for naught. She tumbled backwards off of Kaldur's broad shoulders and landed with a loud splash into the ocean below.

Kaldur scooped Megan up out of the water as Catlyn threw up her arms up into the air in a celebratory manner.

"We did it!" she whooped with a small giggle.

"Good job, Cat. That game really made me hungry," Megan smiled before ringing out her hair. "I'll start making lunch," she offered before wading toward the shore.

"Well done," Kaldur said with a soft smile, stopping Superboy's advancement with a substantial wave. "The match has been decided," he reported, leading the clone in the direction of the smell of hotdogs and hamburgers which wafted from the beach.

"I can't believe we knocked her in," Catlyn marveled, still seated on Robin's shoulders.

"It's your turn next," Robin chuckled, shifting his hold on her legs.

"Not a chance!" Catlyn declared, seeming to mold herself round the back of his head. She seemed confident that she could wait it out and hold on until she felt something brush against the bottom of her foot. She took in a quick deep breath and jerked her foot away from his fingertips.

"You're going in," Robin taunted, doing his best to follow the erratic movements of her jerky foot.

"No, cut it out," she complained, a hint of giggles tinting her tone. "I'll go in!" she conceded, still doing her best to avoid his questing fingers.

"You had your chance," he smirked, tightening his hold on her calf, cutting down on the extent she could kick.

"Robin!" she giggled. She hunched over and went on the offensive. She extended her arms down his torso, her fingers finding their mark along his ribcage.

A strangled noise of surprise emanated from him. He clearly didn't expect her to tickle back. He twisted and jerked as her fingers inched further and further up his torso. Several chuckles escaped as Catlyn was able to tickle a bit more effectively now that he had abandoned his assault on the soles of her feet. "S-stop," he laughed. He released his hold on her legs in an attempt to shield himself from her probing fingers. With one final jerk forward, he pitched her over his shoulders and into the water.

Catlyn emerged from the ocean and spouted a stream of water at a Robin who was on the tail end of collecting himself.

He chuckled at her antics before extending a hand toward her.

Before she had a chance to accept his offer, she was swallowed up from behind by a large wave. She tumbled just beneath the surface of the water until a strong pair of arms wrapped around her, bringing her out of the surf. She coughed out her thanks as Robin gently rubbed her back.

"I don't think water and I will ever be on good terms," Catlyn grumbled, her lungs now free of water.

The pair turned and began their trek to the shoreline just as Megan called out that the food was ready.

Robin gestured to the cooler he had brought, insisting that Catlyn sit first.

Megan only grinned as Catlyn straddled the cooler and Robin joined her with his back pressed against hers. She passed them their food before taking the last serving for herself.

"Good as always," Catlyn smiled, rubbing away a smudge of mustard off her face.

Superboy grunted in agreement, getting up and dusting himself off. He gathered up the volleyball, turning to face the others with a grin and a slightly raised eyebrow. "Who's playing what this time?"

Catlyn smiled and shook her head. "You guys go ahead. I'm gonna walk the beach," Catlyn reported, getting off the cooler and brushing herself free of crumbs.

"If you are certain," Kaldur said, regarding her with a contemplative look.

She waved off his concern and headed for the shore line. After a time still feeling stares, she called over her shoulder, "You don't have to worry about me." She turned with a smile as the waves lapped around her feet. "We're at the beach, guys," she grinned, "so why are you just standing around?"

"Yeah," Superboy agreed enthusiastically, lobbing the volleyball from one hand to the other.

Kaldur gathered up the net with a half smile as Megan flew close to the sand, drawing in the boarders for their makeshift court with her index finger.

Robin watched Catlyn quizzically for a few more seconds before helping Kaldur set up the net.

Catlyn meandered down the beach, leaving the sounds of strain and laughter of the impromptu volleyball game behind her. As the noises dissipated, thoughts that near constant company had kept at bay were brought to the forefront of her mind.

Why was Batman so closed to the idea of her leaving the cave without an escort. She had proven through her training that she was more than capable of keeping an assailant at bay. Leaving the cave to explore hadn't even entered her mind until the option was taken off the table. What was he protecting her from, or was he trying to keep something from her? The subject was never up for debate and answers weren't ever offered. Robin seemed more than willing to comply with Batman's desire to keep her under a close watch. Did he know Batman's reasoning?

Her thoughts changed to the time she had spent with Robin. In school, as Dick, he was so different. He was more reserved, not quite the clown she had grown accustomed to when he put on his trademark sunglasses. Somehow he had perfected juggling both his lives, making Catlyn wonder which personality was the original and which was the fake. Was he being himself when he would complete amazing feats of acrobatics and laugh as his adversaries fell, or when he was staring down a difficult problem with a silent intensity?

The more she thought on it, she was surprised at the number of similarities she began to pick out. She realized that no matter which personality was real, Robin was, in essence, a dependable and kind person with a penchant for lifting the spirits of those around him. She counted herself lucky to be a friend of both sides.

She stopped in her tracks by a tide pool and bit her lower lip, staring into the mini ecosystem.

Was being a friend the peak of their relationship? She thought of their recent physical contact: how smooth his skin was beneath her palms, how tight his stomach was as she leaned against him and how soft and warm his hands were as they worked the sunscreen into her slightly reddening back.

Heat rushed to her cheeks and she closed her eyes, shaking her head as if doing so would rid her mind of such thoughts. She reasoned that if he was interested he would say so. With that inference made, she bleakly began retracing her steps to the makeshift family she had unknowingly become apart of.

Her heart swelled when she thought of the friends she had been able to make. Kaldur, with his calm and logical demeanor, had been assigned the father role in her mental schema. Placing Wally was simple. With his consistent teasing coupled with his underlying protectiveness of her, it was a no-brainer to consider him a big brother. Although she wouldn't admit it out loud, she couldn't bring herself to deem Robin as a brother. Doing so with the jumble of feelings within her would feel unnatural. Megan was another easy one. No one but a sister would dote on her the way the Martian had when Catlyn found herself incapacitated.

A flood of images crossed her mind. All were scenes depicting a young girl with mousy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes smiling up in admiration. She looked familiar and yet completely foreign. Never the less, the sight of the little girl sent a pang of guilt through her. Catlyn closed her eyes and concentrated on what she could only speculate was another memory.

"I've got to go, Helena. I'm running late," a distorted voice she could barely make out as her own called from deep within her forgotten past.

"Catlyn, wait," a much younger voice pleaded, sounding far away. "Don't leave your whip. You might need it." The voice sounded on the verge of tears.

"Thanks, now get back into bed before I tell mom. You need to rest if you're going to get over this fever."

Catlyn's eyes snapped open as the realization that she had a little sister settled in.

Before too much thought could be put into those in her past, the blur of a volleyball streaking past her head called her back to the present.

"Maybe that's why Batman doesn't want me to be out alone," she marveled, getting her wits about her. She squinted down the beach, just able to make out a thin figure, growing larger and more distinct as seconds passed.

"How far were you planning on going?" Robin asked, jogging to meet her. He picked up the volleyball from the crater in the sand and faced her, his smile faltering. "What happened?"

For a time,Catlyn was silent. She pondered whether or not she should tell him of her newest semblance of choppy memories. A sigh escaped her lips as she resigned herself to the fact that he had always been honest and up front with her. He had revealed his secret identity to her the first chance he got, a tribute to how much he trusted her. "I may have left someone behind," she murmured. Guilt once again gripped her heart at the admission.

"Left who?" Robin probed in a quiet and gentle voice.

Catlyn launched into a retelling of the jumbled fragments of memory she had been able to piece together during her time alone. "I don't know how long ago it was," she confessed, staring at the sand as the strand of memories came to an end. "When I last saw her I mean."

Robin propped her chin up, and although he smiled warmly at her, there was something off. He seemed detached. "I'm sure you'll find her. Just give it time," he said almost solemnly.

A weight seemed to have been lifted off Catlyn's shoulders, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it had been transferred to Robin. She bit her lower lip as she cast a glance at her teammate. It was eerie to see him so serious when the team wasn't on a mission, and something that needed to be corrected.

She veered onto sand moistened by the monotonous lapping of the waves, venturing into the surf only up to her ankles.

Robin walked with her and regarded her with a raised eyebrow. "You and the ocean settle your differences?" he asked with a small smirk.

Catlyn regarded that smirk as progress, but it wasn't good enough. "Maybe," she responded before leaning over and skimming the surface of the water with her fingertips.

Water droplets leaped from their source, pelting Robin's neck and shoulders.

She giggled and took off down the shoreline.

"Get back here," he demanded, although the smile in his voice made him sound less than menacing.

"Yeah right," Catlyn retorted with a grin of her own.

A strong arm wrapped around her waist from behind and hoisted her into the air, spinning her around once her feet had left the ground. Over her own squeals and giggles, she could hear a steady stream of light chuckles coming from Robin.

He set her back on her feet just in time to see Megan fly buy in a blur of color.

The Martian doubled back and, looking slightly panic stricken, warned both Robin and Catlyn to take cover before she took off once again.

The source of Megan's distress became apparent as a swarm of nearly fifty squawking seagulls flapped their wings feverishly.

Catlyn was the first to turn tail and follow Megan's example with Robin hot on her heels. "Why seagulls? They are so much worse than flying monkeys!" she complained.

"I hate monkeys!" Superboy bellowed, bounding over his teammates and landing in the menacing demon-birds' path.

His sudden appearance was enough to surprise those in the front line into retreating and his wordless battle cry caused the remainder to seek cover.

Kaldur surfaced from the depths of the ocean and came ashore, wrapping angry bite marks on his fingers within strands of seaweed. "M'gann, kindly never do that again," he scolded in his even voice.

"Never again," Megan agreed, watching the seagulls disappear. "It's getting late," she mentioned, pointing at the sun whose base was gently kissing the horizon. She sighed wistfully and looked at the beach front entrance to Mount Justice.

"We don't have to go yet," Robin offered. "We still have time to bury someone in the sand."

Superboy lay on his back and while it wasn't necessarily an invitation, it was good enough for Robin.

He began scooping handfuls of sand and depositing them along Superboy's legs and torso.

Megan followed his example while Kaldur collected a bucket, not wanting to risk exposing his fingers to the sand just yet. Catlyn sat on the ground beside Megan, helping her to pack the sand more tightly.

With the four of them working together, Superboy soon had a tower of sand that was taller than Catlyn at its peak.

A distant beeping called Robin's attention and he departed to the team's original "base camp". He returned moments later with the cooler in tow. "Batman wants to see us in the debriefing room. Sounds like a good one," he reported, the excitement evident in both his voice and expression.

With mixed emotions about leaving the beach, the five teenagers gathered what they could, opting to leave the volleyball net as a promise to return sometime soon.

Catlyn brought up the rear and chanced one more glance at the sun that had sunk halfway down into the horizon. She knew she has seen thousands of sunsets but couldn't remember one with as many vibrant colors as the ones streaking through the sky above her now. She felt a presence beside her and looked to see Robin already in costume. How long had she been standing there?

"I don't think Batman is going to approve of your new choice in costume," Robin smirked.

She rolled her eyes but smiled all the same as she turned to make her way into the rear section of the cave. "Hey, Robin," she called over her shoulder, pausing before she reached the living-room. "You were right. Thanks for today."

* * *

**I really hope this was worth the wait! It's about two of my regular chapters in length... Leave it to me to crank out 12 pages in word about a scene that only had a combined two minutes max of air time. As promised, here are my responses to your reviews. They really mean a lot to me.**

**Megandary: I suppose you got your wish of me not updating so rapidly... but I don't think others shared that particular desire. lol. There will be plenty of Robin/Catlyn interactions and schmoopy moments. That you can be sure of. ^_^**

**xKROWEx: Thank you so much for the compliment! You make me blush. O/O  
In all seriousness though, both are still in denial that anything more than a close friendship has developed between the two of them. I'm not one for love-at-first-sight stories, so there are going to be several more awkward and blushy moments to be had. Sometimes Batman reminds me of those English guards that aren't allowed to smile. I loved seeing him as Bruce in "Downtime" because he was actually personable rather than a big ball or angst and rage.**

**Wheatieluv: Writing a confused Superboy was a lot of fun. I wanted to have the chapter end differently but still be fluffy and cute. I'm really happy that you found it as funny as I did! Batman does have several things figured out that will come into play several chapters down the line. Shame on Batman for keeping secrets.**

**DrakesChick: Have I converted you? Goodness me, how flattering! :3 I'm so happy that you like my little Catlyn and all of her awkward cuteness.**

**Frigyt: I'm glad that you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope this one will be received well too.**

**Scarlett Wolf: They are cute aren't they! They are making their way to getting to that point, but until they get there, I hope you enjoy the ride!**

**Dreamin'BIG: Here is your more! Sorry it's so late! TT_TT**

**mahlia: Robin and Catlyn are making their baby steps toward each other in subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) ways. I love the dynamic between Catlyn and Wally! He just strikes me as an older brother figure to her more so than any other character on the team.**

**Spottedfire123: I suppose I can't be mad at you for being late on reviewing when I am so late getting this chapter out now can I? lol. I'm so sorry about that by the way. I hope you enjoy the fluffyness!**

**Algie888: Under your threat of death, I got this out as soon as I possibly could! I know it's been a long time since I last updated, but there shouldn't ever be that big a gap ever again! I promises you!**

**Haley Tran: Sometimes I think the world needs to be smothered in fluffyness for a while. lol. Fear not though, the plot will not be lost... now where did I put it?**

**Purple-starburst: I'm so sorry for making you wait for so long! TT_TT I'm super flattered though and I hope I don't disappoint you with the rest of the story line.**

**Numbah 175: A cookie for you! I love Stick It! I am such a movie buff that in my writings I have both obscure and familiar movie quotes scattered around so long as they fit the scenario and it's not too much of a stretch, so be on the lookout because I can promise you there will be more.**

**Kurowriter1122: You flatter me. I'm blushing O/O. Catlyn and I are pleased that you like the story! Truth be told, I never thought she would be so popular. She was just an idea that wouldn't leave me alone and it exploded into this. I'm so glad you like my writing style. I'm rarely serious, so I suppose that it shows in my writings. So happy that it's well received!**

**LittleFireQueen: Robin (Dick Grayson) has always been my favorite DC character hands down! I love how sweet and optimistic he is. One of the things I love about writing Catlyn is that she can switch between being a hard character with a take-no-crap attitude and a giant bundle of awkwardness and confusion depending on the situation. I'm so happy that you can identify with her at points. I think everyone has a little bit of Catlyn in them!**

**Minni Alice: Oh my, Thank you! There are some wonderful young justice fanfics on this site and to hear that I am writing someone's favorite is quite the accomplishment! I hope I don't disappoint you with later chapters!**

**Musei Kage: I'm working on editing more thoroughly before posting, but since it takes me a while to write, I tend to skip over some of the small inconsistencies since I know what I'm trying to say. lol. Rest assured that I am working on getting better at that though! I am planning some original content since the show isn't the same without Robin! Well I had original content planned before but it just gives me an excuse to bring it out early! You were right on the money with her name the first time... like CATE-lyn. I'm so glad I'm not over doing it! I was worried for a while about how many schmoopy (you can thank mahlia for that word. Lol.) moments I was adding, but I'm a sucker for it.**

**ShesXsuperXfreaky: Is it too late to cash in on that penguin? I promise that it will never even take me half as long to put up another chapter again!**

**Angelrider13: Thank you so much for reviewing and I am so happy that you are having fun reading this. I'm having an absolute blast writing it!**

**HandInTheCookieJar: I suppose I'm evil like you are too. Catlyn definitely has some struggles coming her way. I think I've already said too much. I'll try putting some more subtle moments between the two of them. Thanks for the advice.**

**Skyrill: I did make mention in the very first chapter that I was going to play around with their ages... Only because I would feel like a ginormous pedophile if I wrote a love story about a thirteen year old.**

**Lucy-McNugget96: I think there need to be a few more OC stories out there. Not to say that cannon pairings don't do it for me, but there is something interesting about an OC that can gain a cannon characters attention and prove to be worth something... Mary Sues aside that is.**

**Anon: Not to say that there is really going to be that much "dramatic romance" in the near future, but there is something brewing... And I have fiddled with the ages... It's my story and I take that creative liberty since I would feel like a dirty old hag for writing a romance about a thirteen year old. Not to say that it can't be done, I would just prefer not to do it. I'm glad that you like their interactions as they are now. I think that the puppy love stage is always the cutest.**

**suspicious person: I'm so glad that you find this intriguing! Batman has some information on her that he is not willing to spill to anyone. He is the world's greatest detective and all. lol. How can you not love Catlyn though. **

**WiseGirl-AC: I'm so happy to hear that you don't think that I am overdoing it with the fluffyness. I love fluffy chapters so long as they have a purpose like character development and the like.**

**SakuarTenshi36092: I have returned so I hope that this is worth the wait and the time it too for me to actually finish this beast of a chapter didn't scare anyone off.**


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